The Sound of Silence (AizawaXOC Love Story)
by TaehaNatsuki
Summary: PresentMic's younger cousin, Shinobu, finds herself back in her hometown of Musutafu City after years of running from a scarring past. Will she be able to recover from these scars? Will a certain underground be exactly who she needs to overcome her past? (Sorry I suck at summaries.)
1. Character Profile

Name: Yamada Shinobu (Perseverance, Endurance/ Kanji for Ninja)

Hero Name: The Silent Hero, Muffle

Quirks: Sensory Cancellation & Voice (Voice is just like PresentMic's but weaker)

What It Is:

Allows Shinobu to remove one or more of the five senses of anyone she can see. With hearing she has the highest amount of control.

Drawbacks/Limitations:

The more she uses it, the more her head hurts. Essentially, her quirk allows her to take information from other peoples' senses, causing a form of sensory overload.

Other Details:

When Shinobu gets nervous/upset, she will start cancelling her own senses and the senses of those around her unintentionally. Most often though, her anxiety leads to her cancelling her own hearing. To overcome this as a child, she learned sign language and often signs while talking out of habit, especially when she is nervous.

Age: 24 (Aizawa and Hizashi are 26 in this)

Appearance:

Hair: Waist length, straight, silver hair (was dark brown as a kid but turned silver due to stress)

Eyes: Large, Same bright green color as her cousin's (PresentMic) with long thick black eye lashes (Turns black when she uses her quirk)

Build:

Height: 5ft 7in (Aizawa is 6ft and Mic is 6ft 2in)

Body Type: Long legs, slightly larger than average bust, average but nicely shaped butt (Basically, average but curvy overall)

Skin: Ghostly pale with a spattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks

Other Identifying Characteristics:

Tattoos:

Upper spine/Neck: A yin yang style tattoo but instead of typical dots, it's a tree with foliage (with a pink watercolor background) and a tree with just the branches (with a purple watercolor background)

Right Ankle: A gray and black and white crescent moon being overlapped by a blush pink rose surrounded by white and silver colored stars

Hero Costume:

A dark gray battle kimono that is mid calf length in the back and just above her knees in the front. Has a black obi with a lavender string wrapped around it. Paired with black ninja style pants that have utility pouches on both sides. She carries a kusarigama (scythe on a chain) tucked into her obi. Her utility pouches contain miscellaneous items from medicines to tranquilizers for villains that are a bit too big for her to tie down. Also keeps a pair of lavender goggles (similar to Aizawa's but have actual black lenses instead of the lines) on top of her head that she pulls down when she needs to use her quirk. This hides when she's cancelling more than one sense that is not her own.

Stats:

Power: 3/5

Speed: 4/5

Technique: 4/5 (For her Sensory Cancellation Quirk) and 1/5 (For her Voice quirk)

Intelligence: 5/5

Cooperativeness: 2/5


	2. Ch 1: Two Quirks

"_Shinobu," my mom signed waving to get my attention before she continued, "Can you try deactivating your quirk again dear?" Tears filled my large, green eyes as I shook my head._

"_Sorry, mommy! I'm trying really hard!" I signed, trying not to cry, considering it could activate my secondary quirk. My mom ran to me, engulfing me in a warm hug, but I could feel the tension in her shoulders. Tension caused by me, and the fact that I couldn't control my primary quirk. Why couldn't I have just been burdened with one quirk like Zashi-nii? It's not fair!_

_Suddenly, the feeling of a strong wind into our apartment alerted me to a now a broken window as my mom slumped onto the floor beside me, unconscious, blood pooling from her ears. Panicked, my bright green eyes darted to the window, which was now broken… Oh no! I must have panicked and activated my second quirk! With this panicked feeling, my eyesight went blank as well followed quickly by my sense of touch. There was nothing but darkness and emptiness until I heard someone calling my name…_

"_Shinobu… Shinobu!... SHINOBU!"_

I woke with a start to find myself not in my childhood home, but instead on a couch, face to face with a pair of green eyes that matched my own and a head of gravity defying blonde hair. Beside him was a tired, scraggly looking male with black hair, black eyes, and some unkempt facial hair. Panicking, I realized the blonde in front of me was still moving his mouth, but I couldn't hear anything.

"Zashi-nii!" I signed nervously, "Stranger danger!" That was our code phrase for whenever I got panicked about coming face to face with someone I didn't know. It also was a pretty good indication that my quirk had started to go haywire. Suddenly, Zashi-nii, or as he's known to others The Voice Hero: PresentMic or Yamada Hizashi, turned to the dark haired man and said something that I of course could not hear. The man raised an eyebrow before his eyes turned red and his hair began to defy gravity.

"... I told you she'd get nervous! We're just lucky she didn't cancel our senses too this time!" Zashi-nii was saying animatedly as he smiled at the man I'm assuming was his friend. I frowned. Sure my quirk control wasn't perfect, but I had gotten a lot better about not accidentally cancelling other peoples' senses. Now, if I panicked, it usually just caused me to cancel my own hearing.

"You know she can hear you now, right?" the black haired man pointed out as he blinked, his eyes returning to their previous black color and his hair settling back, causing Zashi-nii to look at me apologetically.

"I've been working on it, Nii-san. Now, I usually only cancel my own hearing, and even that is only when I panic," I stated quietly as I also signed what I was saying, my expression clearly sad as I looked at my feet.

It was a habit I picked up when my quirk had first manifested. I had accidentally cancelled my own hearing for over a year at age five when my quirk showed itself. Coincidentally, at that same time, my secondary quirk, voice, had also manifested when I panicked and was trying to hear myself as I attempted to explain to my parents I was so scared. Warm arms wrapped around me as Hizashi gave me an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, my number one listener! I promise I meant it as a compliment! Sounds like you've gotten much better control of it since the last time I saw you! What about the other quirk? Wanna show me what you got?!" he ranted excitedly and I quickly shook my head no at the last question.

"I don't use that quirk," I mumbled, unable to sign as my arms were currently being held at my sides by my loud blonde cousin.

"You have two quirks?" the black haired man asked, getting both mine and Hizashi's attention.

"Who are you?" I asked apprehensively, my voice barely a whisper. I didn't know this man, and I was not the type of person to just trust someone. Nii-san was one of the only people I trusted and could relax around.

"Oh yeahhh! I forgot to introduce you two! Nobu-chan, this is my best friend Aizawa Shouta, also known as the pro hero Eraserhead! Shouta, this is my baby cousin Yamada Shinobu. She's known as the silent hero, Muffle!" Zashi-nii introduced excitedly as he released me from his death hug to lean on his friend's shoulder. I stood up and bowed politely.

"Nice to meet you, Eraserhead-san," I said while signing, my voice still quiet as I spoke, "Also, yes, I do have two quirks."

"Likewise, Yamada-san, and Aizawa is fine," Aizawa stated calmly, his eyes narrowing at Nii-san, "Now, I came because you promised there would be food. Otherwise, I'm going home and sleeping before patrol." At that, my eyes widened as I realized I forgot to heat up the food I had made earlier for Nii-san for when he got home from work. He told me to make extra so he could take it to lunch tomorrow, but I'm starting to think that was just his way of getting me to cook enough for Aizawa without me knowing that we would have a guest.

"Relax, Shouta! I told Shinobu to make extra, so I'm sure there's plenty, right Imouto-chan?" Zashi-nii asked hopefully with a smile in my direction which I returned with a glare but nodded. I didn't take well to being tricked, especially not by someone I trusted so much. Not to mention, he kept talking about me like I was a baby. I was so irritated and focused on my work at the stove as I worked on reheating the stirfry I had made earlier that I didn't notice the tall man leaning on the counter and watching me with a sigh.

"Sorry about this. I should have realized something was up with him when he volunteered a home cooked meal," Aizawa apologized, startling me as I splashed some of the hot oil on my arm.

"FUCK!" I screeched, my voice quirk activating temporarily in my shock in the pain as my arm began to bubble with a burn. Aizawa flinched before grabbing the wok and setting it safely on the stove and turning off the gas. Then, he grabbed my wrist and looked at my forearm that now sported an ugly bubbling second degree burn.

"I would say the stir fry has heated up enough now," he muttered almost like he was trying to make a joke before calling out to Nii-san who had gone back to his room to change out of his hero costume, "Hizashi! Get your first aid kit and some burn ointment if you have any extra!" With that, he walked me over to the sink and ran cold water over my arm which caused me to flinch slightly.

"I-I can handle it, Aizawa-san," I tried to state firmly, but he just ignored me as he turned off the water and dabbed around the burn with a dry wash cloth before leading me over to the couch where Nii-san was now with the first aid kit.

"I-I'm fine! It's just a small burn," I asserted, trying to grab the burn ointment from Nii-san who just moved it out of my reach and handed it to Aizawa causing me to get irritated, "I'm not a kid. I'm a pro hero dammit. Let me do it!" Aizawa sighed.

"I have no doubt you can clean it by yourself and apply the ointment, but how do you intend to bandage your own arm?" he challenged, a bored and tired expression on his face.

"With great difficulty. Like I do everything else," I muttered sarcastically causing Zashi-nii to snicker.

"Well at least you admit you make everything more difficult for yourself, Imouto-chan! Now let Shouta do this. Consider it him earning his meal!" the blonde joked with a large smile which I still returned with a glare, "Awwwww come on, Imouto! If I brought him here and gave you a warning you would've disappeared and avoided us!" I nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. I'm not a people person," I whispered, flinching as Aizawa had started wrapping my arm, chuckling at my last comment.

"Well, looks like we have that in common," he pointed out with a small smirk. My face started to feel warm. _He looks nice when he smirks… Wait! No! Bad Shinobu!_ Nii-san noticed my face and grinned wildly.

"Hey, Shouta! I just had an idea! Why not have Nobu come and patrol with you tonight?" Zashi-nii suggested with a grin causing my face to heat up even more and me to shoot an even more intense glare in the direction of my older cousin, "What? You prefer to patrol at night and this will allow you to relearn the area in a safer way." I sighed. I hated when my cousin actually showed that he had some intelligence.

"As long as she doesn't get in my way, I don't really care," Aizawa stated plainly, throwing a distrustful look in my direction. At this point, I glared at him as well. These two have done nothing but underestimate me since they got here.

"Screw this," I muttered and signed, "I'm going to go hang out with Kuro." Kuro is my black cat. He's the cutest little cat with big red eyes and a sleek coat of short fur. I went to open my door, and to my surprise, Kuro darted out of my room and into the living room. I sighed before following him back there to find Aizawa crouched down scratching him behind the ears.

"So I'm guessing this is your cat?" Aizawa asked, his tone much less harsh and bored than before. I simply ignored him before clicking my tongue and calling Kuro over to me as I got his food out to feed him.

"Nobuuuuuuuuu! Come onnnnn! Why are you so pissy today? Especially towards your favorite older cousin?" Hizashi whined, still loud despite the fact that he hadn't activated his quirk.

Finally, I turned to him and his friend and activated my sensory cancellation quirk, causing my eyes to go black and black veins to crawl down the sides of my cheeks looking almost like black tears. This didn't always happen when I activated my quirk, but it did if I cancelled more than one sense at a time on anyone other than myself. This time I had cancelled everything except their hearing.

"Listen well both of you, especially you, Nii-san. I am a pro hero in my own right, the same as both of you. I am also barely younger than you are. I've had enough of both of you underestimating and treating me like a child. Now, I'm going on patrol," I seethed, my voice still quite quiet, making me sound all the more eerie as I deactivated my quirk and walked to my room, changing quickly into my hero costume and jumping out the window.

-Aizawa's POV-

I noticed Hizashi's little cousin's eyes turning black and veins starting to go down her cheeks, but before I could erase her quirk, my vision suddenly went dark, and I couldn't feel or smell anything. It was very disorienting, but I was still able to hear.

"Listen well both of you, especially you, Nii-san. I am a pro hero in my own right, the same as both of you. I am also barely younger than you are. I've had enough of both of you underestimating and treating me like a child. Now, I'm going on patrol," her voice was still quiet, but her anger while calm was still very evident in what she said. And then, as though nothing happened, my vision, sense of smell, and sense of touch all returned at once right as her door slammed.

"Damn… She's really mad. She hasn't cancelled my quirk on purpose like that in years," Hizashi muttered, uncharacteristically quiet for him as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"She's done that to you before?" I questioned, my curiosity getting the better of me. Hizashi nodded before picking up a photo on his end table next to his couch and tossing it to me. I caught it and saw a picture of Hizashi from our first year in high school, and next to him was a girl with dark brown hair and bright green eyes that matched his. Hizashi was doing one of his signature finger guns with one hand while the other arm was wrapped around the girl who had a shy but bright smile on her lips.

"That's Shinobu. Before her quirk went haywire. Her parents had her on experimental quirk suppressants. Apparently, the suppressants caused her quirk to build up, so when she was unable to take one of them on time, her quirk essentially bursted free and cancelled all the senses of both her and her parents for almost twenty four hours. It caused my aunt and uncle to go insane, and the stress caused Nobu-chan's hair to turn gray like that," Hizashi explained, his usual excited and happy demeanor all but gone, "Despite all of that she managed to go to U.A. and become a hero, but now, the hero she was a sidekick to has retired. They asked me to bring her home and try and get her involved with teaching or something, but as you can see, she doesn't exactly warm up to new people easily." I nodded, lost in thought. This girl had had it rough.

"You keep calling her your baby cousin, but she seemed pretty annoyed with that. How old is this kid anyways?" I asked curiously, depending on her age would depend on what kind of job she could get at U.A. or maybe find a job as a sidekick to a nearby hero. Hizashi chuckled.

"Why, Shouta? Think she's cute?" he teased as I glared using my capture weapon loosely around his neck, "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. She's 24! Why does it matter?!" I released him from my capture weapon.

"I was thinking of what kind of job she could get at U.A. or if she should just try and find a job as a sidekick to a hero around here," I answered honestly, at which Hizashi shook his head with a frown.

"She's an underground hero. She hates the spotlight. She wouldn't fit in with most heroes around here. Besides maybe you, Shouta. That's part of why I invited you over tonight. I was hoping if anyone would be good for her to meet here first, it would be you. However, you saw how that went," he said dejectedly. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You literally told me she had anxiety, and you thought that bringing a new person over with no warning was a good idea? Seriously…" I muttered irritatedly as I grabbed a bowl and chopsticks and put some of the beef and cabbage stir fry as well as the rice that Yamada-san had made earlier. Taking a bite, I closed my eyes and had to fight back a moan. Her cooking was heavenly.

"Nobu-chan's an amazing cook, huh? Makes me want to go…" Hizashi started and I opened my eyes to activate my quirk as he yelled, "Yeahhhh! Oh thanks, Shouta! Her cooking just makes me really excited!" I rolled my eyes as I blinked and continued eating before putting my bowl in the sink and walking towards the front door.

"Leaving already?" Hizashi asked curiously. I nodded.

"Yeah. You said Yamada-san isn't familiar with the area. The last thing we need is a hero in the area getting injured due to them being irrational," I stated plainly. Hizashi chuckled at this.

"Ya know, Eraser, you could just admit that you're worried about her," he teased as he started washing the dishes, "But if you do run into Nobu-chan, can you let her know I feel really bad about upsetting her like that? And maybe try and help her get used to the area?" I hummed in response as I walked out the door with the intention of patrolling and keeping my eye out for a certain irrational silver haired hero.

Song: The Sound of Silence (Disturbed Cover)


	3. Ch 2: The Silent Hero

-Shinobu's POV-

Despite being on patrol, I put one of my wireless earbuds in and turned my phone to the radio app. Zashi-nii-san's radio show would be starting soon, and even if he irritated me earlier, I never missed his radio show since the day he started shortly after I graduated high school. It made me so happy that it was getting more popular.

"_Hello, Listeners! Thanks again for tuning into Hands Up Radio with me, pro hero PresentMic! I hope all of you listeners are having a fantastic Friday night! We're going to get things rolling tonight with a special song that I picked out for my number 1 listener! This one's for you, Nobu!" _Nii-san's voice yelled out into my earpiece. My heart lifted a bit, and at the same time, I began to feel a bit guilty for snapping at him earlier. He was just trying to help. Suddenly, the song Silence by Marshmello ft. Khalid. It made me smile a bit.

Unfortunately, a movement caught my eye in an alleyway near the roof where I was crouching. Sighing to myself, I turned my phone to record the radio show, so I could pause it and finish listening to it after I was done checking out what was going on. As I approached the alleyway, I heard a muffled scream. Keeping my movements silent, I moved towards the alleyway to see a man pushing a woman against the wall with a finger that was morphed into a knife on her throat as he got ready to use another one of his knife fingers on his other hand to most likely cut her clothes off. I noticed another presence but decided to focus on the immediate threat.

Pulling my goggles down over my eyes, I cancelled the man's sense of touch and hearing as I came up behind him and pulled my kusarigama out of my obi and quickly moved the chain around his neck and pulled back fast and firm, successfully getting him away from the woman without a single scratch on her.

"You're safe, ma'am. Please leave. I will take care of this creep," I said calmly with a small but reassuring smile, my voice quiet but calming causing the woman who was still shaking to nod and run off. I pulled the chain I had around the villain's neck a little bit tighter until he passed out from lack of oxygen before releasing my grip on the chain and pulling out some rope that I had in one of my utility pouches and calling the cops as I tied the villain up tightly.

"You can come out now. Or just report to Nii-san that I'm fine. Your choice," I stated calmly and quietly to the underground hero I had noticed the presence of earlier. Said hero landed on the ground beside me and walked up to me as I turned to him, moving my goggles to the top of my head.

"How long did you know I was here?" he asked, curiosity intruding on his usually bored sounding voice.

"Since I noticed the perpetrator," I responded shortly, turning Nii-san's radio show back on, as Aizawa-san hummed in response.

"Your skill with that kusarigama is impressive," Aizawa-san commented, his bored tone back. I nodded in thanks, not looking at him.

"Now you can report that to Nii-san, and I can get back to my patrol. I've proven myself to be more than capable of handling myself," I stated while signing as I looked back at him. Being around someone for any length of time always made me nervous and led me to signing while talking.

"Believe it or not, I'm not here at Hizashi's request, Muffle," Aizawa-san responded while looking at me with a serious expression causing me to give him a quizzical look, "He did ask me to come watch after you; however, he also mentioned having you come teach at U.A. and I was curious about the rationality of that suggestion. Even among underground heroes, not much is known about you, so I wanted to see you in action. U.A. might just be the right fit for you." That threw me for a loop.

"_Now, listeners, we are gonna take things up a notch for all you party animals tonight! Makes me wanna say YEAHHHHH!"_ I could hear nii-san yelling in my ear, temporarily distracting me and causing me to giggle.

-Aizawa's POV-

As soon as I finished explaining to Yamada-san why I had followed her and watched her apprehend the feeling, I heard yelling from her earpiece that sounded like… Hizashi's radio show? Immediately after, she let out a giggle, and I felt my face heat up a bit. _Cute. Wait… No, Shouta. You're being irrational! This is Hizashi's little cousin for God's sake! _I mean I had already had to cool my face down after seeing her in her hero costume. It definitely confirmed that she was not a kid as it showed off her curves pretty obviously.

"Is that Hizashi's radio show?" I asked just to distract myself from her giggle and the frankly gorgeous smile that lit up her face when she did it. She nodded, her smile staying on her face though smaller than before.

"Y-yeah. I always listen to Nii-san's radio show. I haven't missed it once since he started doing it," she admitted her smile becoming a bit more shy as she began to sign more quickly, "That's why he calls me his number one listener." I smiled slightly at that. She really did look up to him, which really shocked me why she didn't use the quirk that she shared with him.

"Muffle, why don't you use your voice quirk?" I asked, and immediately, I regretted it as her smile fell and her bright green eyes seemed to dim, and she began signing at me without speaking, hinting that her quirk activated on its own again. I quickly deactivated her quirk to allow her to be able to hear again.

"S-sorry, Eraserhead-san," she mumbled, her voice coming out barely as a whisper. I nodded in understanding as I walked up and grabbed her wrist causing her to look up at me in surprise, "W-where are we going?"

"It's almost 5am. This patrol time is almost over, and the other pro heroes will start patrolling soon and the press will be getting more active soon. I'm taking you back to Hizashi's, and then I'm going to sleep," I stated bluntly as I led her towards Hizashi's apartment. I felt her tug back at my grip.

"I-I can get there myself," she said quietly, signing with one hand. I sighed.

"I'm sure you can, but Hizashi's apartment is on the way. It would be irrational for us to split up when we are going in the same direction," I stated simply, continuing to pull her along. I heard her sigh before her arm went limp in my hand. I glanced back to make sure she was okay; however, she seemed to be lost in thought. Before long, we made it back to the apartment.

"Do you have a key?" I asked with a yawn, and she shook her head.

"No, but I left my window open," she responded causing me to shake my head in irritation.

"Don't do that. It's dangerous in a big city like this. Plus, Hizashi is not an underground hero. You never know if you two will be targeted," I scolded slightly, my teacher side coming out a bit more than I intended. I noticed her giggle a bit causing my face to heat up once again.

"Your teacher side is coming out again, _Aizawa-sensei_," she teased quietly, emphasizing my name slightly causing my cheeks to burn even more at the mischievous glint that appeared in her bright green eyes. With that, she slipped out of my grasp and in through her open window. A minute later the front door opened with her standing in front of it in sweatpants and a black baggy sweatshirt that said Hands Up Radio on it in big bold red letters.

"You can come in if you want and sleep on the couch. Zashi-nii-san mentioned that he had a friend that was always tired. I'm guessing that's you. I'm not sure how far your apartment is from here. I can cancel your hearing if nii-san gets too loud," she stated while signing quickly, her voice nervous as she spoke quickly. I could tell she wasn't used to talking to strangers much and was really pushing herself. I smiled slightly at her before placing my hand on her head in a comforting manner.

"I'll take you up on the couch part, but don't worry about cancelling my hearing. You need your sleep too," I responded with a yawn as I walked in and laid on the couch, "And remember to lock the door and close and lock your window. Not only is it dangerous, but you could let your cat out too." At that, I heard the door close quickly followed by the sound of the lock and then shortly after, I heard her window shut and lock too.

_What an interesting girl._ I thought to myself as I laid on Hizashi's couch, falling asleep almost as soon as my head hit the cushion.

-Shinobu's POV-

The smell of something burning woke me up, and I got up quickly out of bed, startling Kuro as I did so. Quickly running to the kitchen, I immediately saw the source of the burning smell: Hizashi-nii trying to cook. There wasn't much smoke, but something was definitely burning.

Sighing to myself, I came up behind nii-san, turning the burner off before he accidentally caught his long blonde hair on fire. He apparently had not heard me because the action caused him to turn around quickly, hitting me in the face with the pan that he had in his hand. That earned a whimper from me as I fell to the ground, a sharp pain across my left eye and my nose as I held it feeling the wetness of blood dripping out of it.

"NOBU-CHANNNN! I'M SO SORRY! ARE YOU okay?" Zashi-nii panicked as I opened my eyes, activating my quirk to eliminate his hearing so he'd quit yelling; however, I had done that halfway through him yelling my name out, which means…

"You are way too damn loud first thing in the morning. Some of us were up late working last night and were trying to sleep," I heard Aizawa say as he walked around the island in the kitchen and kneeled down in front of me seeing the blood dripping from my nose, "I'm starting to think you don't need to be in a kitchen at this point." I gave him a halfhearted glare and cancelled his sight in response for a couple of seconds, unable to talk without getting blood in my mouth.

"I'm so sorry, Nobu-channn!" Zashi-nii anime cried as he ran around the kitchen like a chicken with his head cut off causing me to roll my eyes and giggle slightly at his antics earning me a look from Aizawa that indicated he was clearly questioning my sanity before the scruffy man let out an irritated sigh.

"Hizashi! Enough! Make yourself useful and get the damned first aid kit," Aizawa ordered nii-san who quickly did as he was told as Aizawa passed me a washcloth which I took with a nod and held to my nose to stop the blood.

"Thank you, Aizawa-san," I said, my voice quiet and even, despite how nervous I was getting from our close proximity. It was then that I noticed that his hair that I had only seen long and unkempt was tied back into a messy bun at the base of his next, and I found my face heating up, which was definitely not helping the whole nose bleed situation.

_Damnit, nii-san! Why did the first friend you introduce me to have to be so freaking attractive?! Aghhh! Damnit, Shinobu! Get yourself together! You're a basket case! You don't get to think about this stuff that normal people do!_ I scolded myself and my dearest older cousin in my head. At that last thought, I sobered up, my emotions settling on a more depressed state that was typical for me since my first year of high school. I didn't deserve the normalcy other people had. Not after what happened with my parents. That reminder was enough to calm me down, though my face definitely fell as my bright green eyes dimmed.

Whatever was said towards me throughout Nii-san and Aizawa-san while they were treating my injuries did not register as I purposely cancelled my hearing and refused to sign to Hizashi-nii. It was my way of shutting people out. I guess this kind of quirk was actually quite useful for people that were antisocial like me. It was a lonely quirk, but it was what I deserved. With that thought, I walked into my room and laid on my bed face up, staring at the ceiling. Before long, I was joined by nii-san, worry reflected in his green eyes as he brushed through my hair with his fingers a couple of times before signing to me.

'_Nobu, talk to me,' _he signed quickly with a concerned expression on his face, as I sighed and signed back.

'_I'm fine, nii-san. Just a lot of change at once,'_ I signed him a half truth, but of course he noticed.

'_Is it Shouta? I thought for sure you would get along with him. Did patrol not go well? Do I need to kick his ass? He may be my best friend, but no one messes with my baby cousin!'_ nii-san signed, getting more agitated as he jumped to conclusions causing me to smile a bit and shake my head.

'_No. Aizawa-san is nice. I don't mind him. Patrol was fine. I'm just not used to spending time with others,'_ I admitted in sign language as I gave him a smile and a small giggle. At that, I was pulled into a bear hug by Hizashi-nii and decided to uncancel my hearing.

"Thank you, Nii-san. You always know how to make me feel better," I whispered as I looked up at him and he placed a protective kiss on my forehead, "But are you even sure you could kick Aizawa-san's ass? He seems quite capable with his quirk and reflexes." At that, Hizashi-nii looked at me with a mock hurt expression before giving me a small smirk.

"How little faith you have in me, imouto! Or is it just that someone is taking notice of my best friend?" the way he said taking notice told me exactly what he was insinuating causing me to blush and shake my head to hide it.

"I'm just observant, and he's stopped both of our quirks with ease," I pointed out while signing, a telltale nervous habit I had. At that Hizashi-nii just gave me a suureeee before leaving so I could get some rest after having such a late patrol.

After he left, I laid back down staring at the ceiling trying to keep my thoughts off of a certain intriguing underground hero as I eventually fell into a fitful sleep with Kuro curled up beside me.

Song: Phobias by Johnny Orlando

**A/N-**

**So the support and feedback on this story has already been amazing, and I'm honestly so grateful and overwhelmed! Please feel free to leave any comments or critiques or anything! It really means the world to me! :) Thank you all so much again! :) **

**Also, the song I put at the end of the chapter may or may not relate to the chapter content. A lot of times, it's just whatever I'm listening to when I'm typing the chapter up. **


	4. Ch 3: Face Your Fears

-Shinobu's POV-

It had been just over a week since I had met Aizawa-san and just over two weeks since I had moved in with Hizashi-nii-san. I had stuck to going on patrols at different times every couple of days or so, but other than that, I had desperately avoided going outside of the apartment. Eventually my ability to do so would run out, and I knew that however I just wasn't expecting that time to come today all because of a text from Zashi-nii that had practically sent me into a panic.

_Zashi-Nii:_ Hey, I wasn't able to get the groceries you asked me to. Do you mind going to get them instead? If it's too much, I can just go tomorrow, but we will have to eat takeout tonight.

Even though he asked me if I'd be okay to go, Zashi seemed to think that I would be because before I had left home, he would never have even considered asking me to go shopping by myself. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad he was thinking I was improving on my anxiety, but this time he was mistaken. Yes, I had survived on my own in Okinawa for the past six years, but that was greatly thanks to grocery delivery services. Being in public places and doing things that involved even the tiniest bit of social interaction like checking out at the grocery store or ordering food at a restaurant was still embarrassingly difficult for me.

But I couldn't tell Hizashi-nii this especially not after making a big deal to him and Aizawa-san about me being an adult. If I couldn't do this much, I really would be useless here. I had to do this! For nii-san and to prove a point! "_Alright Shinobu, you can do this."_ I told myself as I got dressed in a simple lavender long-sleeved v neck shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans. As I got ready to leave, I slipped on my black combat boots and threw my waist length silver hair into a high ponytail, leaving two sections in the front down to frame my face a bit. And with that, I ventured out into the world.

The entire walk to the grocery store I was chanting to myself silently that I was fine and that the people around me were not an issue. That motivational talk was also mixed with bits of 'you're a hero damnit. You take down villains for a living. You're fine' and 'grown up my ass. You're still fighting off fears that are common for a four year old' that echoed in my head. My internal dialogue was definitely a bit confusing to say the least. I managed to get to the grocery store and buy everything with minimal human interaction and without a panic attack; however, as I was leaving the store, I felt a panic attack coming on.

To prevent the panic attack that I could feel bubbling up, I decided to cancel my own hearing. That allowed me to relax a bit, but I should have known that in a big city like Musutafu that that was a bad idea. As I was passing an alleyway, I felt hands reach out and grab me, covering my mouth to prevent a scream from leaving my lips as I was pulled into the alley and slammed against a wall.

In front of me was a man that had a gun pressed directly to my forehead. Behind him were six more men and in order to hear their demands I uncancelled my hearing, trying to control my panic. I was used to fighting villains, but that was at night, with a weapon and my hero costume.

"Hi there, pretty little thing. I'm gonna need ya to strip down for us. Maybe if yer quiet, we'll let you leave here alive after we're done having fun with ya," the man with the gun to my head sneered with a lecherous smirk.

"And if I refuse?" I asked with my voice quiet and steady despite my panic. I wasn't afraid of these men because of what they wanted to try and do to me. I was more panicked because I didn't want the media to come to me if I took these guys down and called the cops. A sharp pain exploded in my right temple in response as the thug pistol whipped me, knocking me to the ground.

"We'll kill ya and move onto the next unfortunate little slut to walk past here," the man sneered, and the other men all chuckled, "After all, this street is a common path for girls from the nearby junior high and high schools to walk down. And let me say, some of them are quite the lookers too." At that statement, anger exploded from me, and my panic was overshadowed by anger. Kids were a bit of a soft spot for me, or is it a strong spot? Either way, if I was focused on protecting someone, especially children, my anxiety seemed willing to take a backseat.

With that realization, I activated my quirk without a second thought, my eyes turning abyss black as black veins began to crawl down my cheeks as I cancelled all of their hearings and sight. Doing it to seven at a time was a bit of a stretch for me, but I would manage. These men could not escape. I would not let them. With that thought, I ran up to the man with the gun first before he started randomly shooting, deactivating his sense of touch as well as I gripped his wrist to the hand that was holding the gun and squeezed two pressure points in his wrist forcing him to release the gun.

After he was disarmed, I returned his sense of touch as I whipped him across the back of the head with the gun, knocking him unconscious on the ground. I could have used his pressure point on his neck, but with the anger I was feeling at the moment, I didn't trust myself not to hit it too hard and accidentally kill the guy. With that, I released the cancellation on his sight and hearing. By this point, the other six had started swinging randomly. It was annoying and should have been easy to avoid all of them, but they had surrounded me before I cancelled their senses and with me cancelling so many senses at once, I was starting to get a major migraine making it difficult to focus.

"_I need to finish this quick or else I am going to end up with a damn aneurysm!"_ I thought to myself, cursing as I dodged another one of the thugs elbowed him hard in the stomach before doing kicking my leg up into his head, the force knocking him out and quickly deactivated the cancellation I had put on his senses. _2 down. 5 to go. _My head pounded relentlessly as I felt blood began to fall slightly from my eyes.

I took two more of the men down by getting behind them and hitting the pressure points on their necks, knocking them out. Now that I wasn't cancelling as many senses and the asshole who was the ringleader had been knocked out, I was able to calm down enough to use pressure points. Also, I was getting weaker physically from fighting the pain in my head, so I was no longer confident of my ability to hit hard enough to efficiently knock them out with pure force. Suddenly, one of the other thugs managed to hit me in the head HARD causing me to lose control of my quirk for a minute as I fell to the ground.

"You stupid bitch! We aren't letting you do that shit again!" one of the thugs yelled, grabbing my arms and holding them behind me and sneering in my ear, "We're gonna make ya pay for that! But first let's have a little fun with ya. Blindfold her boys." With that order, the man bit into my shoulder near the base of my neck causing me to whimper as a blindfold was tied over my eyes. This was not good. If I couldn't see them, I could not use my quirk. Blinking may not affect my quirk, but being blindfolded pretty much made it useless.

I felt a sharp, stinging pain going from where the v in my shirt was to the bottom of my shirt. Suddenly my body felt very exposed, and I cried out in fear and pain as one of the men groped my breasts which were now exposed as they had cut my shirt off. My cries turned to sobs as I felt lustful kisses and bites covering my shoulders and neck as another pair of lips crashed into mine forcing my mouth open and a tongue to enter without my permission.

_No! I can't let any other girl go through this! Especially not a little girl! I have to get out of this!_ With that desperate thought, I made a decision that I hadn't in years. As soon as the man who was assaulting my mouth backed off for a second, I let out a yell, utilizing a quirk that I had sworn off.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed, letting out an ultrasonic blast as I felt the hands on me all disappear. Knowing I needed to work fast, I reached up and ripped off the blindfold, eyes wide with rage and panic as I cancelled all three mens sight and hearing. The two men in front of me had been knocked to the ground with their ears bleeding profusely, and once realizing they were unconscious from the sound blast, I turned to attack the remaining thug only to find him holding his head in his hands, crying out in pain. I saw red, and I picked up the pistol that had fallen to the ground and raised it to hit him and knock him out. Before I could do so, a gray scarf wrapped around the man and hit his head into the wall, knocking him out. Next thing I know, the gray scarf wrapped around the gun in my hand and took it to the person responsible.

"SHINOBU?!" A familiar and tired low voice yelled, and I looked up seeing a concerned Aizawa as I fell to the ground gripping my head as my quirk deactivated itself. My eyes squeezed shut as I could feel the blood streaming from my eyes and ears. _Damn… I massively overused my quirk, but at least… they can't hurt anyone else…_ I smiled smally to myself as regular tears filled my eyes, mixing with the blood. A hand gripped my chin lightly as my face was pulled up to see Aizawa in civilian clothes minus the weird gray scarf, his hair pulled back into a messy bun. I smiled smally at him despite my panic.

"What happened?" he asked softly as he wiped the blood from my cheeks.

"Th-they attacked me and told me they wanted to-. I didn't know what to do. I was too scared to fight- but they said- targeting young girls- I had to do something- And they almost-" I couldn't get a complete thought out at this point as I found myself panicking as I realized what had almost happened. I felt dirty as I began to hyperventilate.

Before I could get to the point of a full panic attack, I felt something warm wrap around me and pull me up. Aizawa had wrapped his jacket around my shoulders, covering me and had helped me to my feet.

"Can you walk for a couple of blocks?" he asked, his voice softer than I had heard it before. I nodded, my eyes wide as Aizawa put his hand on the small of my back and led me through the alleyway and using less busy streets until we finally reached an apartment complex. Aizawa led me up the stairs to one of the apartments, stopping to unlock the door before motioning for me to go inside. Not having the energy and feeling slightly better being near the dark-haired male, I did as I was told, going inside and taking off my combat boots and stacking them neatly by the door.

I winced as I felt the pain from what was apparently a huge cut I had down my stomach from where one of the thugs had cut open my shirt. My lavender shirt was now stained red with my blood and the blood no doubt of the thugs. The thought made me shake violently until Aizawa knocked me out of my thoughts.

"Do you want to shower?" he asked, "I have some clothes you can wear." I nodded but was confused as he led me to the restroom. _He has clothes I can wear? Does he have a girlfriend or something?_ For some reason, the thought just made me feel even shittier with the whole situation that was going on. I felt violated, but I kept telling myself that I was lucky and that I should just be glad it was me and not some child. Aizawa came back to the restroom with a towel and some clothes, setting them on the counter.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. I smiled ever so slightly at him as I nodded.

"Yes, thank you Aizawa-san," I said, my voice hoarse from how loud I was using my voice quirk earlier. He just nodded before shutting the door. I sighed and took a deep breath before shrugging off his jacket and hanging it on one of the towel racks before slowly and painfully removing my destroyed shirt and bra. Taking a deep breath, I started on the most painful part, trying to remove my pants and underwear with the huge cut on my stomach. Fortunately the cut was deep enough to need stitches, but it definitely hurt like a bitch.

Stepping into the shower and turning the water as hot as I could stand it without scalding my skin, I sighed in relief as the water relaxed my tense and aching muscles as well as washed away the blood that had soaked into my silver hair. Removing my hair tie, I shampooed my hair and scrubbed my body roughly, minus my cut of course, and rinsed myself off before shutting off the water and stepping out into the now steam-filled bathroom. Drying myself off, being especially careful around my stomach, I looked at the clothes Aizawa had given me to wear.

My panties I was wearing earlier weren't dirty so I was able to wear those which spared me some of my embarrassment. Carefully pulling the shirt over my head, I let it fall. It was a black tshirt that was clearly too big for me, but it was very soft and smelled nice. Then, I grabbed the pants which were dark gray sweatpants that I luckily didn't have to tie to tightly which would have hurt with my current injury; however, I did have to roll the legs up a couple of times so I didn't trip over them. I blushed as I realized. These had to be Aizawa's clothes. I quickly threw out that thought and walked out of the bathroom, leaving my silver hair down to dry. Aizawa was sitting on the couch rubbing his temples.

"I- I apologize for the inconvenience, Aizawa-san," I stuttered, starting to feel nervous as I once again thought about what happened to me. Aizawa looked at me as he noticed me starting to shake and patted the seat next to him. I did so, staring at my hands which began to look blurry as tears filled my eyes, my panic began to build up again. I felt a hand on my shoulder causing me to look at Aizawa quickly, causing a couple of the tears to escape as he asked the question I wanted to avoid answering more than anything.

"Yamada-san, what happened?"

Song: Zombie by Bad Wolves


	5. Ch 4: Strength Unseen

-Aizawa's POV-

Since this year I had expelled my entire homeroom class on the first day, I had a bit more time on my hands than the other teachers at UA. As such, I was spending my extra time patrolling and subbing for other teachers when necessary; however, today was my day off, and since I had drank my last juice pouch last night while on patrol, I found myself having to make a grocery run; however, as I was getting ready to checkout, I was jarred by a loud scream that shook the building. The only time I had experienced shockwaves from a shout like that was from Hizashi using his quirk, but he was working today.

Preparing to use my capture weapon, I ran out of the store and used my capture weapon to get on top of a nearby roof. As I looked into one of the alleyways, I saw a girl with a gun pointed at a guy who had bleeding ears. Before she could shoot, I used my capture weapon to grab the man and hit him into the wall, effectively knocking him out. As I jumped down from the roof into the alleyway, I used my capture weapon to take the gun from the young woman in front of me. It was then that I noticed who it was as my gaze was met by a terrified set of bright green eyes.

"SHINOBU?!" I yelled out in shock and to snap her out of what was sure to be an oncoming panic attack as I noticed her shirt had been cut open and that there was a long gash down her torso that was bleeding quite heavily though not enough to be immediately concerned. As Shinobu squeezed her eyes shut, I noticed blood starting to fall from her eyes. _She must have overused her quirk_. I took this moment to do a quick survey of our surroundings.

Including the man I had knocked out, I saw 7 men, a couple of them had knives and all of them were knocked out. Sending a quick text to the police with the information on where to find the men and the likely crime that took place, I slowly approached the now trembling silver haired woman in front of me. Since I didn't know whether her quirk had activated involuntarily or not, I reached up and gently gripped her chin to get her attention and to get her to look at me. The small smile on her face surprised me since I knew she had to be terrified. Being a hero didn't make one immune to fear in the face of something like what I assumed had occurred.

"What happened?" I asked, keeping my voice soft as I wiped away the blood that was trailing under her vibrant green eyes.

"Th-they attacked me and told me they wanted to-. I didn't know what to do. I was too scared to fight- but they said- targeting young girls- I had to do something- And they almost-" she couldn't get a complete thought out at this point as she seemed to have fully realized what almost happened now that the shock was starting to wear off a bit.

After giving her my jacket to cover herself, I made sure she was okay to walk with me back to my apartment since it was nearby, and although she was clearly shaken up by what happened, she still managed to walk back to my apartment with me. When we reached my apartment, I asked her if she wanted to shower, telling her I had some clothes she could wear. She seemed a bit confused about that, but although I was a bit taller than her, I figured my clothes wouldn't completely swallow her, and it would be better than her being in bloody and destroyed clothes.

After making sure she was okay when I brought in the clothes and a towel to her, I went back into the living room to wait for her, keeping an ear out for if she called for help, not that I expected her to. Despite her quiet and shy demeanor, Shinobu had proven to be quite determined in her at the very least attempts to be strong and independent.

After our patrol together, I had done some research on the silver-haired underground hero. Her previous mentor, Nightshade, was an underground hero who was not known to take on many sidekicks, and despite being top of her class in grades at UA during high school, she seemed to constantly struggle with finding an internship which I could only imagine was due to the nature of her quirk and her reluctance and lack of control regarding her voice quirk. All of this being said, her success rate for missions was a staggering 95% despite working almost entirely by herself. Other than that, there wasn't much else on her. My reflecting on all of this was interrupted when I heard the shower shut off and shortly after was almost startled by Shinobu's soft voice ringing out into my living room.

"I-I apologize for the inconvenience, Aizawa-san," she stuttered. I looked up at her and saw her shaking. Trying to calm her down and once again not knowing if she ended up accidentally cancelled her hearing again, I patted the seat beside me on the couch so she would know I wanted her to sit down. The underground hero did so, keeping her eyes glued to her hands which she was currently wringing in her lap. Wanting to snap her out of what I was sure were dangerous thoughts, I placed a hand firmly on her shoulder causing her to look up at me, tears falling from her panicked green eyes. The sight hurt a bit to see. Sure, I was very good at coming across as an unemotional and apathetic hero, but it doesn't matter if someone is a hero or not. Being a victim of what I was suspicious had happened, or almost happened, was something that would shake up anyone. However, it was irrational to assume things, so I had to clarify.

"Yamada-san, what happened?" I questioned, my voice soft, but firm, knowing that being demanding and authoritative in this case would do her absolutely no good. She took a deep breath before clearly steadying herself to relive what had just happened.

"Nii-san asked me i-if I could go g-get groceries since he-he wasn't able to… Being in public g-gives me really bad a-anxiety and p-panic attacks, but I-I wanted to prove that I-I could do it…," Shinobu started, signing nervously as she did so, "I-it was okay until I l-left the grocery store. I-I cancelled my own hearing on p-purpose so I wouldn't have a panic a-attack. W-when I did that, s-some thugs pulled me into the alleyway and put a g-gun to my head a-and told me to s-s-strip…"

The last word came out as barely a whisper from Shinobu, but the story so far already had my blood boiling. The world is a sick place where thugs will prey on women like that; however, I was slightly impressed with her drive to try and overcome what sounds like pretty debilitating anxiety, though it begged the question as to why she became a hero in the first place. Not showing my anger at the event, I nodded reassuringly, urging her to continue.

"I asked w-what would happen if I-I r-refused… They said they would k-kill me and would g-go after some of the girls from the nearby junior high and high schools," she continued, her stuttering completely stopping and her voice strengthening as an angry glint filled her green eyes and her hands stopped signing and clenched into tight fists as she explained the rest of the attack, clearly pissed about the men threatening children. The change in her demeanor was unexpected. It was almost like I was listening to a different person as she recounted using her quirk and taking down the men using the pistol and pressure points to knock them out. That strength seemed to fade when she got close to the end of her story.

"There were three men left, w-when one of them managed to hit me in the head hard enough to force me to d-deactivate my quirk. Th-that's when one of them caught m-my arms behind my back and they b-blindfolded me so I couldn't use my quirk," Shinobu was back to signing again as tears started to flow from her eyes again, "Th-they cut my shirt open and b-began to k-kiss me and b-bite my neck and g-grope me…" The woman in front of me was managing to stay together despite recounting what had to have been a horrifying and violating experience. Suddenly her trembling slowed to a stop as a sort of calmness fell over her once again as her fists once again clenched.

"But they were planning on doing this to anyone else, especially children, and that is not acceptable. So as a last ditch effort, I used my voice quirk though I had almost no control of it, knocking out the two men who were in front of me and knocking the man behind me back, allowing me to get free. I picked up the pistol that was on the ground and took off the blindfold to cancel his sight once again as I got ready to use the pistol to knock him out," she finished, her voice strong at the beginning but gradually quieting as she got to the end and began signing once again, "Th-that's when you arrived, Aizawa-san."

This woman in front of me was really something else. Despite dealing with crippling anxiety, she managed to not only defeat 7 fully grown men by herself, but she also did so without her weapon of choice and pushed her quirk to the absolute limit to do so. She even used a quirk she seems to really hate, and after all of that, she still managed to walk to my apartment and recount the whole story without completely breaking down. Just what the hell was this woman…? Looking over to her, my eyes narrowed when I noticed the shirt that I gave her had blood seeping through it.

"You didn't bandage your wound, Yamada-san," I pointed out bluntly. She looked at the shirt, her eyes widening in shock. I sighed as I got up. Shinobu did as well.

"Stay here. I'll be right back," I ordered firmly as I quickly went and grabbed another shirt for her as well as a roll of bandages and some antiseptic before returning to her, "Alright. I'm going to help you since you moving too much could just aggravate it more. You'll have to clean it yourself first though." Her eyes widened a slight blush dusted her cheeks.

"B-but my wound is in a s-sort of p-private place," she pointed out nervously, cancelling my sight as I heard the sound of the shirt being removed. I rolled my eyes despite my sight being gone.

"I'm not going to do anything, Yamada-san. You're going to guide the bandages over your front until I get to your ribs so you don't feel so uncomfortable, but you do need help to wrap these bandages without aggravating your wound," I pointed out, my voice sounding disinterested. Don't get me wrong, Shinobu Yamada was an attractive woman, but there was no way I would try anything like that.

"O-oh okay. Sorry, Aizawa-san… I didn't mean to i-insinuate anything like that…" she stuttered, her voice indicating that she was worried she had offended me as my sight was suddenly returned, her back was in front of me, "I also already cleaned my wound, so we can start now."

"Alright," I said boredly as I started to bandage her wound, starting at the top, giving the bandage to her when I reached her side until I got to her lower ribs, which at this point, I walked around to her front to be able to see the wound I was bandaging. I noticed her cheeks were slightly flushed from what I'm guessing was embarrassment as I reached behind her to grab the roll of bandages and guided it around her, my fingers just barely ran over her ribs and she jumped and yelped. I just looked up at her questioningly, worried that having a man touch her bare skin at all at the moment was triggering a fight or flight response in the silver-haired heroine.

"Sorry, Aizawa-san… This is really embarrassing…" she started, her face getting redder by the second, "But I-I'm actually really ticklish around my ribs." She gave me a small apologetic smile, and I felt my face heat up a bit but fought it back. Damn this girl was resilient. She was just sexually assaulted and something that would have triggered most people after an occurrence like that had her laughing. I just shook my head, sighing in exasperation.

"Well, Yamada-san, please try and stay still so I can bandage you correctly," I requested, my bored tone staying ever present, but as I continued to wrap the bandages around her, anytime my fingers would skim across her skin even slightly, she began to actually giggle. I looked up one of those times and was shocked to see a real smile as she giggled. Her laughter was light and airy and almost melodic sounding.

I turned back to the task at hand, smirking slightly to myself at the sight of the normally quiet and shy heroine laughing and smiling despite what happened during the day. Finally, I finished and stood up. This time, Shinobu gave me a full smile, a slight blush on her cheeks still as she put on the fresh shirt that I had brought for her.

"Thank you, Aizawa-san! I'm sorry for the trouble," she said, her voice quiet but steady as she let out a large yawn. I gave her a small smirk.

"No problem. Even heroes need saving sometimes," I stated reassuringly, "Yamada-san, you should take some rest on the couch. Take a nap until Hizashi gets here. He'll get off of work soon, and I'll call him and let him know what happened." I turned to head back to my room to call the loud blonde and fill him in.

"Shinobu…" she said, almost so quietly I didn't hear it causing me to stop and look back at her as she clarified with a slightly louder voice, "Yamada-san is what everyone calls my aunt, uncle, and parents. Shinobu is fine. Actually, it's preferred." The last part was muttered almost like an afterthought that wasn't supposed to be out loud as her gaze darkened slightly.

"Alright. Then, drop the -san on my name. Or call me Shota. Your idiot of a cousin does anyways," I responded, not really minding if the small heroine called me by my first name since Hizashi was always yelling it anyways, "Shinobu, get some rest. After the day you've had, you need it. If you need something, my room is down the hall, the last door on the left." Shinobu smiled again and nodded before going and laying on the couch.

Continuing my way back to my room, I opened my door to be greeted by an angry little white ball of fluff that immediately jumped on my shoulder and swatted at my face.

"Sorry, Shiro. It took a bit longer to go to the grocery store. Something came up," I apologized to my white haired, green-eyed cat who just pushed her nose into me in response, demanding to be petted. I reached up and grabbed her from my shoulder, setting her in my lap as I took my phone and called Hizashi. He picked up after the second ring.

"_Heyyyy Eraserhead! You almost never call! What's up?!"_ Hizashi's loud, enthusiastic voice blared through my phone speaker causing me to groan inwardly. Did he have to be so damn loud all the time?

"Hizashi, are you still at work?" I asked, ignoring his jabs and wanting to get straight to the point.

"_Just left! Fixing to head home and see my favorite little cousin in the whole worrrldddd!_" he responded happily, and I felt bad for what I was gonna have to tell him now.

"You need to come over to my apartment. Now. Shinobu is here. She was attacked in an alleyway today," I said, deciding to rip it off like a bandaid, turning my sound down in hopes of saving my eardrums.

"_WHATTTTT?! IS SHE OKAY?! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?_" he yelled angrily, his quirk activating, and turning down my phone did little to actually quiet the sound.

"Hizashi! Keep your quirk in check! She is asleep on my couch right now, and the last thing she needs right now is to know you're freaking out!" I scolded angrily, "She has a black eye and a large cut down her abdomen, but it's not too deep. We cleaned and bandaged it. The thugs have already been arrested and charged with battery, sexual assault, and attempted rape-" Oops… Didn't mean to let that slip out.

"_ATTEMPTE RAPE?! That's it! I'll be at your apartment in 10 minutes!" _Hizashi yelled angrily before taking a breath, seeming to really process the information before saying in a much more fearful, normal volume, "She is okay, isn't she? She's already been through so much, Shota… I don't want her to be hurt anymore…" I sighed. I figured as much, but Shinobu… this woman was strong, stronger than I think just about anyone realized.

"She's alright, Hizashi. They did manage to touch her a bit, but she took all seven of them out by herself. I happened to hear her use her voice quirk and got there in time to knock out the final guy because Shinobu looked like she was about to shoot him," I reassured my panicking friend.

"_Should've let her_," he muttered under his breath, and I sighed once again honestly agreeing with him; however, Shinobu had told me when she told me what happened that she was gonna use the pistol to knock him out. Either way, kind of wish I hadn't intervened at this point.

"_Either way… Thanks, Shota… For helping her… You have no idea how much this means to me. I owe you big time_," my usually joking friend said, uncharacteristically serious and somber, "_I'll be there soon_."

"Alright. When you get here, do NOT use your quirk and keep your voice DOWN. She is sleeping and frankly she needs it. I also need to talk to you about an idea have for her for helping her find a job here," I stated calmly, emphasizing the part about him being quiet for once in his life.

"_Alright, Eraser. I'll be there soon,_" Hizashi said before hanging up. I quickly picked up Shiro and put her on my shoulder before quietly leaving my room to check on Shinobu who was now passed out on my couch, her breathing steady and her expression relaxed and peaceful. Seeing that she was okay, I quickly returned to my room, making one more call before Hizashi arrived.

"_Ah… Aizawa! I really wasn't expecting a call from you on your day off!_" the cheerful and high voice of the Principal of UA greeted kindly.

"Good afternoon, Principal Nezu. I wanted to call you about a potential new staff member for UA…" I stated bluntly, but respectfully.

"_Wow! How uncharacteristic of you, Aizawa! Who has caught your eye?_" the sable responded, curiosity evident in his voice.

"Yamada Shinobu, hero name: Muffle," I responded, waiting to hear his reaction before I continued.

"_Ahhhhh! Now that is a name I have not heard in quite some time! Care to explain your proposal, Aizawa?_" he responded, clearly interested now. I took a deep breath before explaining my plan to him.

"_Hmmmm… I must say that is an interesting and potentially very beneficial proposal for everyone involved, though a lot more work for you from the sounds of it. However, the decision must ultimately be up to Muffle herself. Be in my office tomorrow at 10am with Muffle and PresentMic as well. Remember, she must agree to this herself or else any and all steps forward that could be made will be for not_," Principal Nezu responded after hearing my plan. What did he mean by all of that?...

"Yes, sir. We will all three be there. Thank you, sir," I said respectfully as we said our goodbyes and quickly hung up the phone.

When Hizashi arrived, he took a look at Shinobu who was resting peacefully on the couch and was thankfully silent until we reached my room where we discussed my plan, which he enthusiastically agreed to. Now, it was all up to the silver-haired, green-eyed heroine currently passed out on my couch.

Song: Weak by AJR

**A/N:**

**What does Aizawa, Principal Nezu, and Hizashi have planned for shy little Shinobu? (That will be revealed in the next chapter.)**


	6. Ch 5: Aizawa's Plan

-Shinobu's POV-

"UP AND AT EM, NOBU-CHAN!" I awoke to the sound of my loud cousin yelling without his quirk to wake me up. Groaning quietly, I rolled onto my stomach and hugged my pillow. Even without using his quirk, Zashi has always been ridiculously loud.

Suddenly, there was a weight on my bed as the blonde voice hero jumped on my bed. Sighing, I rolled over and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Last night had been full of nightmares about the men that attacked me. I didn't want to tell anyone though because I felt like a failure of hero for letting it get as far as it did. I'm a Pro Hero damnit! I should've been able to handle a handful or so of thugs with no problem.

"COME ON, NOBU-CHAN! SHOUTA IS ALREADY OUTSIDE WAITING ON US! WE'RE LATE!" Zashi-nii yelled excitedly, causing my head, which was already pounding from overusing my quirk the day before, to feel like it was going to burst from the pain. The pain was so great that I let out an involuntary whimper and reached out blindly to my nightstand trying to grab my migraine pills.

"Hey, moron. You're too damn loud," a bored tone stated, and I felt my face heat up at the voice as the pill bottle ended up in my hand, "I'm guessing you were looking for those." Nodding in thanks, I opened the bottle without opening my eyes and took two large pills dry and leaned back to try and relax a bit until the medicine kicked in.

"Oh man! I'm so sorry, Nobu! I didn't even think about the fact that you overused your quirk yesterday… Are the migraines still as severe as when we were kids?" Hizashi asked, his voice significantly quieter, but very concerned.

"Worse," I said quietly without moving any other part of my body. The pain in my head was so bad it was making me nauseous. I took some deep breaths, in through my nose out through my mouth, to try and focus on literally anything else. Less than 2 minutes until the meds kicked in. My hands were clenching my blanket into fists trying to fight off the pain. It was always the worst after I slept following the overuse of my quirk. It was bad if I didn't sleep, but when I did finally sleep, it got almost unbearable.

A warm hand covered mine and rubbed comforting circles on the back of my hand, and I let out a small sigh of relief as that and the medicines began to kick in. Not wanting to rush things and make my migraine come back, I allowed my vibrant green eyes to flutter open slowly, seeing a concerned Hizashi next to me and a slightly less bored looking Aizawa leaning on my door frame. Hizashi picked up the hand he had been rubbing and held it in both of his hands, concern etched across his face.

"They've gotten worse?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically quiet, a deep frown etched onto his normally carefree features. I nodded, but gave him a small smile.

"It's okay though, Zashi-nii. I can also go a lot further with my quirk before the drawbacks happen. Yesterday was just… rough…" I tried to encourage, too tired to sign at the moment, my voice fading a bit at the last sentence, before I forced the smile back to my face, "I handled it though. I even used my voice quirk." I knew the last bit would cheer him up, and he gave me an excited, but wry smile.

"That's great! If you ever want to train it, let me know! I always have time for my number one listener!" he exclaimed, giving me the dorky finger guns he likes to do, his cheesy smile back on his face.

"Shinobu, are you feeling okay to get up now?" Aizawa's bored voice rang out, bringing our attention to him as I nodded.

"Yes. Sorry for making you wait, Sh-Shouta," I said quietly, stuttering over using his first name for the first time, feeling my face heat up a bit, "If you both can give me 10 minutes, I can be ready to go." They both nodded before going out of my room, Hizashi-nii sparing one more concerned glance before shutting my door behind him.

-Aizawa's POV-

As I sat on Hizashi's couch, I noticed him side eyeing me suspiciously.

"Since when did you two call each other by your first names?" he questioned sternly, an expression that looked out of place on the usually happy and carefree blonde. I narrowed my eyes at him as I shrugged.

"She asked me to call her Shinobu yesterday, and I told her she could call me by my first name if she wanted since that's what you call me anyways," I responded, my bored tone ever present.

"Then why the hell was Nobu-chan blushing when she talked to you?!" he further inquired, clearly not buying my statement. She was blushing? I thought maybe her face was just red from the pain she had been in.

"No idea. Not my problem," I stated, not wanting to read too much into it. Regardless of what the coloration in her cheeks meant, we had more important things to focus on, and if we didn't get going soon, we were going to be late.

-Shinobu's POV-

After getting dressed in a simple black long sleeved button up shirt and some lavender colored skinny jeans with my black combat boots, we were on our way to the school. Aizawa, I mean Shouta, had said that the principal of UA wanted to speak with me today. That didn't explain why he and Nii-san needed to come, but I guess I didn't mind. After all, as of right now, these two were the two people I was most comfortable with in this area.

In less than ten minutes of me walking between Shouta and Nii-san, we had reached the gates of UA. Both of them scanned their security passes, and I scanned my hero license. As we walked down the familiar halls of the number one hero school in Japan, I found myself smiling sadly to myself. This place had been my second chance that I didn't deserve after what I had done to my parents. While I had enjoyed learning a lot, my time in UA was filled with bullies telling me that my quirk was a villain's quirk, and that my parents went insane because they had a villain for a child.

The panic at the dark turn in my memories caused me to cancel my hearing as well as my sight, which led to me tripping only for my wrist to be grabbed and righted before my face could meet the floor. My sight returned, and I turned to see Shouta holding my wrist with his eyes glowing red and his hair once again defying gravity. I nodded in thanks as he let go of my wrist, and I kept on the path towards the principal's office, ignoring the concerned and confused looks of the two men behind me.

In minutes, we reached the large doors that led to the principal's office. Shouta knocked, and a high pitched voice called out, "Come in!" Zashi-nii and Shouta opened the doors to reveal a small little sable/mouse looking creature in a suit vest and tie along with dress pants. _Huh… and just when I thought UA couldn't get any stranger… _

"Ahhh! Eraserhead, PresentMic, Muffle, you're all right in time for tea!" the animal replied motioning to some seats with teacups and a teapot. Following the lead of the other two heroes I was with, I sat in one of the plush chairs around the coffee table.

"I don't suppose we have been properly introduced! My name is Nezu. I am the current Principal at UA. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Muffle!" he greeted kindly. I smiled slightly despite my nerves. He was kind of adorable and very polite. I stood up and bowed respectfully in greeting.

"Yamada Shinobu," I introduced still in my bow before lifting my head with a polite smile on my face as I signed while speaking, "The pleasure is mine." With that, I took my seat as Nezu let out a joyful laugh.

"My my! You really are quite different from Hizashi-kun, aren't you, Shinobu-chan?" Nezu then turned to Nii-san with a joking tone, "Maybe you should have Shinobu-chan teach you how to use an inside voice and some manners." Hizashi-nii sweatdropped, and I let out a giggle. Shouta clearing his voice interrupted our silly teasing as we all noticed the serious expression on his face.

"Principal Nezu, I believe we have a proposition to discuss," he stated bluntly, his tone respectful. Nezu sighed but nodded.

"Straight to business as usual, Aizawa. You know it wouldn't hurt you to take time to enjoy the moment every now and again," Nezu chastised with a small smile as he poured four cups of tea, one for each of us, "However, since you're so adamant, why don't you begin with your part of the proposition, Aizawa?" I tilted my head slightly in confusion at this turning to Shouta as I put a sugar cube in my tea before lifting it to my lips and taking a sip. I smiled at the taste. _Chamomile. Not usual for this early in the day, but it's definitely helping with my anxiety._

"Yamada-san," Shouta started, gaining my attention once again, "Hizashi has brought it to my attention that you are now here in Musutafu because your previous mentor, Nightshade, has retired. You have not found a hero agency to work for as of yet, and based on your records in the system, you tend to prefer the spotlight at all costs, preferring to work as an underground hero. There are very few agencies that would suit you in this area. As such, after watching your ability to handle different situations such as the patrol we both did and the attack you managed to handle without any hero gear, I am willing to offer you a position as a sidekick at my agency. However, there are a couple of conditions you must meet. Now, before I waste my breath, are you interested in this position?"

Taking a sip of my tea, I narrowed my eyes in thought as I considered my options. _He has a point about there not being many other agencies that would take me in. Plus, I know Shouta, so meeting a new boss wouldn't be as difficult… _After a couple of moments, I met his gaze with my own and nodded for him to continue.

"The conditions for this position with me are as follows: 1. You must be able to work nights. 2. You will have mandatory hand-to-hand combat training with me until I deem you are at a level that I approve of. 3. While on patrol, you must go with at least one other hero until I clear you for individual patrols," he stated, my eyes narrowing ever so slightly at the third condition, but decided it wasn't a big deal until he continued, "And finally, you must undergo training to control and utilize your Voice quirk."

At that, I froze before glaring at him and then Hizashi-nii, who in turn avoided my gaze in guilt as I replied, my voice quiet but seething, "I do not use my Voice quirk." Aizawa met my glare with a stern expression of his own, his bored expression a thing of the past.

"If you want to work for me, you _will_ use your Voice quirk. You cannot live in fear of it. It's already saved your life once," he pointed out, his words cutting deep as I thought about the attack from yesterday.

"Shouta! That was uncalled for-!" Hizashi-nii started before I met Shouta's gaze with a determined one of my own.

"Fine," I said through gritted teeth as I signed before taking a deep breath and continuing in a slightly more professional tone, "I accept your conditions. But that doesn't explain why we came to UA for this conversation."

"Well that is where I come in, Shinobu-chan!" Nezu said, his voice friendly as ever but with a serious edge to it, "I too have a part in this proposition. Since you will be working as a sidekick at an agency that is not always open full time, I would like to also offer you a position as a TA starting this Monday at UA." I looked at him, skepticism clear in my expression.

"And I'm going to assume there are some conditions to this position as well," I said calmly while signing. I mean it couldn't be worse than having to learn how to use my Voice quirk, right?

"You're a smart woman, Shinobu-chan! 1. You must learn to speak to the students. 2. You must be able to help with all classes, including tutoring in the subjects students may need help with or substituting when a teacher needs it. 3. You must work as TA for Aizawa for at least the first year or until you can stop accidentally cancelling your own sense and control your Voice quirk," Nezu praised with a smile and listed some conditions before his face took on the most serious expression I had seen yet from him, "And my final condition is that you must have weekly appointments with Recovery Girl about the effects of your quirk suppressants had on you and to ensure that you are no longer taking them."

So I was wrong. This was definitely worse than learning to use my Voice quirk. The panic I began to feel in my chest turned to guilt as Hizashi-nii jumped to my defense.

"Principal Nezu, drug testing her weekly is a bit of overkill. Nobu-chan hasn't touched the quirk suppressants since the incident when we were kids!" Zashi-nii explained jumping to his feet and waving his hands before turning to me, "Right, Nobu-chan?" My heart sank as all 3 faculty members turned to look at me, waiting for my answer. Willing myself not to panic, I let out a long deep breath before I looked to Nezu, unable to meet Hizashi's eyes right now.

"I only use them, so that if I panic in public, there won't somehow be a repeat of that incident with my parents. I don't think I could live with myself if I did that to anyone else," I admitted, my eyes glossing with tears but I fought them back as I signed along with what I was saying. Shouta looked at me in slight confusion, while Nii-san looked like he had been punched in the gut.

"Nobu… Why would you-?" Zashi-nii started but was interrupted by Nezu.

"I understand your reasoning, Shinobu-chan; however, that does not change the fact that those are illegal drugs and make your quirks even harder to control. This is a hard line in the sand for me. I am willing to look past your history of using these, but I cannot hire you if you are unwilling to take this important step forward in your life. The choice is yours to make," Nezu stated, his voice and expression serious and unwavering.

After what feels like hours of turmoil inside my head, but in reality was only a matter of minutes, I took a deep breath before reaching into my pocket and gripping the pill bottle I had grabbed in case of emergencies this morning. Then, before I could change my mind, I stood up from my chair and walked over to Principal Nezu, pulling the pill bottle out of my pocket and placing it on the table in front of him.

"That is all I have on me currently. I can go home and bring the rest to you later today," I said while signing before bowing deeply in respect to first him and then to Shouta as well, "So if you will both have me, I would humbly like to accept both offers." With that, I lifted my head as I saw Shouta with a serious expression as he nodded in acceptance and then Nezu who smiled kindly at me before saying the words I did not expect to hear in this lifetime at least.

"Of course, Muffle! Welcome back to UA!"

Song: Sober by Demi Lovato

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the delay in updating. My daughter has been sick with a bad ear infection and has not allowed me to get anything done for the last few days. I'm hoping to update again sometime this week, but we will see based on how she feels. Thanks for the support on this story!**


	7. Ch 6: Answering to Zashi-Nii

-Shinobu's POV-

The walk home from UA was tense to say the least. Hizashi-nii was silent and sullen, concerning me. Once we reached our apartment, Shouta came as well because he was instructed by Nezu to come with me to get the rest of my quirk suppressants. As soon as the door was closed behind us, I reached out to Hizashi-nii-san who just pulled his arm away from me, a hurt look in his eyes.

"Nii-san… I'm sorry-," I started, signing as I spoke, but he cut me off, his voice low and full of pain.

"I don't want your apologies, Shinobu! I want to know what the hell made you think that taking those suppressants was in any way okay?! Do you want a repeat of what happened to your parents?!" he responded, his voice moving to an angry tone as his chartreuse green eyes met mine, his orange sunglasses clenched in his fist. My eyes widened in hurt at his last question.

"Of course not! Were you even listening in Nezu's office?! I wanted to prevent a panic! I didn't want to accidentally cancel out a random person's senses just because I can't manage my own stupid social anxiety!" I shot back, trying to hide the pain in my own voice at the thought of what happened to my parents.

"So that makes it okay for you to do illegal drugs? Especially ones that I know cause you a lot of pain? That's why your drawbacks to your quirk have gotten so much worse! Shinobu, I can't believe you would do something so stupid!" Hizashi-nii ranted, getting a bit hysterical as he gripped my shoulders tightly as he shook me, causing me a fair amount of pain, "Did you even think about anyone else?! What would your parents say?!"

That last question earned a whimper along with the shaking causing my wound from the day before to throb. Suddenly, his grip on my shoulders was gone, and an arm was wrapped around my waist snatching me back quickly, but gently without irritating my wound further. Looking up, I saw Nii-san caught in Shouta's capture weapon, and he was absolutely seething.

"Stay out of this, Shouta!" Hizashi yelled, obviously trying to activate his quirk, "This has nothing to do with you!" I, on the other hand, was now trembling. Nii-san had never gotten mad at me or yelled at me like this in our entire lives. The hand around my waist moved to my shoulder, resting there in a comforting manner and helping keep grounded to the point where I didn't break down, at least not yet.

"Hizashi. Enough. Yelling at her and throwing what happened with her parents in her face is not gonna change what's happened," Shouta said sternly, his quirk activated, keeping Nii-san from screaming, "She made mistakes, and she's willing to move past them. Shouldn't you be supporting her right now?" At this Hizashi-nii's face turned beet red in anger.

"You don't know the first fucking thing about this situation, Shouta," Hizashi-nii-san said before turning his attention to me, "If you haven't gotten your anxiety in enough control to not cancel random citizens' senses, then you have no business being a hero at all." At that, I broke. All of my senses were cancelled, and I let out a wail that I could not hear. The panic attack that ensued then caused my airways to constrict, and after what felt like hours, but could only have been minutes, I lost consciousness.

-Shouta's POV-

As soon as Shinobu let out an ear shattering wail, I turned to cancel her quirk before pressing the pressure point on the back of her neck causing her to pass out before she could quit breathing from the obvious panic attack she was having. After catching her, I picked her up and gently laid her on the couch before turning my attention to the angry blonde still stuck in my capture weapon as I put eye drops in my now extremely dry eyes.

"Happy now?" I asked him as I released him from the capture weapon as he continued to stare at Shinobu's sleeping form in shock as I saw tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why wouldn't she tell me what she was going through?" he asked more to himself. At that, I scoffed earning a confused glare from the blonde. "And what exactly about this situation is funny, Shouta?"

"The fact that you just told her she had no business being a hero, and then wondered why she wouldn't tell you what she was struggling with," I pointed out, "It would have been irrational to tell her older cousin who she clearly looks up to about her struggles with an illegal drug problem." His tears fell down his face at this as he knelt beside the silver-haired woman and brushed a lock that had fallen into her face.

"I just… I was so angry… She puts herself at risk every time she takes those stupid pills. They made her so sick when we were kids. I tried to get her to stop taking them, but she always said that they made her parents so much happier so it was worth it," he admitted, stroking her hair gently, "So when I found out, she was still taking them despite not being forced to anymore, I was so mad. She doesn't value herself, Shouta. I-I don't know what to do to help her… I want to protect her, but I don't know if I can… Even after all this time, I'm still powerless to help her with the same issues that have plagued her since we were young. She's a big part of the reason I became a hero. So she would see that our Voice quirk could be used in a good way."  
My gaze softened at this. Hizashi may have been known for being loud and obnoxious and often dragged me into situations I didn't want to be in, but he was still my best friend and he had a big heart. Sighing, I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes looked up to meet mine, and I gave him a small smirk.

"Hizashi, the only person that can overcome these demons she's facing is her. The only thing you can do is be there for support and maybe some tough love. She has a lot of potential and a strength I haven't seen often even in other pros. She'll be okay as long as she doesn't give up," I encouraged, my voice stern, "Plus, she needs a teacher for her Voice quirk, and I don't know anyone more annoyingly enthusiastic and better suited for the job than her favorite cousin and radio host." At this, Hizashi gave me a wry grin.

"Did THE Aizawa Shouta just try and cheer me up?" he teased before his smile fell slightly and he turned his gaze to Shinobu, "I doubt she will want me to teach her after all the stuff I said just now. She probably hates me." I scoffed again causing him to look at me in surprise.

"You know she listens to your radio show every week? Even if she has patrol," I reminded him, and a small smile found its way on his face again.

"Yeah. She has tuned in to every show since I first started Hands Up radio… She even used to do musical performances with me sometimes as specials for the show. Those were actually some of my most popular shows," he said with a sad smile, "It makes me happy to know that she has done that even after all this time."

"I-I never stopped, Nii-san…," a quiet, weak voice said alerting both of us to the now awake Shinobu, "I'm sorry I never told you. I just didn't want to burden you anymore than I already was." Hizashi's eyes widened at this, and he tackled her in a hug.

"It's okay, Nobu-chan! I'm sorry I said you shouldn't be a hero! I'm a terrible big cousin! Please forgive me!" Hizashi exclaimed, causing me to smile at the two cousins as Shinobu met my gaze and gave me a thankful smile. I felt my face heat up a bit, but I gave her a small smile in return.

"It's okay, Nii-san. I'm okay now. Also, you're the best big brother a girl could ask for!" she responded, her quiet voice full of enthusiasm as she returned his hug. In shock, Hizashi gripped her shoulders and pulled back to meet her matching eyes with his.

"Y-you called me your big brother…." he said in shock, and Shinobu shyly nodded.

"Y-yeah… Is that okay?" she asked nervously, earning a grin from the blonde.

"YEAHHHH!" he yelled, his quirk activating as I shot him a glare causing Shinobu to giggle before he continued to talk, his voice loud but his quirk no longer activated, "I know the perfect way to celebrate!" Shinobu and I both looked at him in confusion.

"You're gonna sing with me on Hands Up radio tonight!"

-Time Skip brought to you by my daughter chewing on my favorite Aizawa shirt like a teether (while I'm wearing it)-

-Shinobu's POV-

"I don't think this is a good idea, Nii-san," I fretted nervously while signing as he continued setting up for his radio show. Shouta and I had already taken my other pills to Nezu before I had to come back and get ready. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Nii-san had already told me that I would be playing the piano as well tonight which was not helping my nerves. And for some reason, he just had to invite Shouta too. He claimed it was to make sure I didn't accidentally cancel my own hearing during the performance.

"Oh come on, Nobu-chan! You have an amazing voice! It's been so long since I've heard you sing! It'll be a treat for all of my listeners and for me and Shouta too, right Shouta?" Hizashi-nii encouraged, turning with an excited grin to the raven-haired man in question who looked at me before just humming in response.

"O-okay… Thanks, Nii-san… I'll do my best…" I decided, trying to be confident despite my nerves. _Okay, Shinobu. It's just Nii-san and his friend… His insanely attractive friend who is now my boss and who I will be spending an excessive amount of time with for work. Shit. Wrong train of thought, Shinobu! Focus! You can do this! Music is your escape! You can do this!_ I gave myself a pep talk inside as I sat nervously at the piano in the soundproof room staring through the glass as Nii-san started his radio show.

"Relax," a low voice stated from beside me as I looked up in shock to see Shouta standing there as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "Hizashi says you've done this before. So you have no need to be nervous. It's irrational." I rolled my eyes and giggled at his comment.

"Do you only ever think of things in terms of rationality, _Aizawa-sensei_?" I teased with a small smile as he sat down beside me on the piano bench as his onyx eyes met mine.

"It makes life much simpler that way, _Nobu-chan_," he teased back, his voice low and serious sounding, the only hint that he was teasing was the wild grin he gave afterwards that caused me to break into a full on laugh as a blush colored my cheeks at the nickname.

"Thank you, Shouta-kun," I said with a smile after my laugh calmed down as he gave me a questioning look, "You were distracting me to get me to relax before my performance. I appreciate it. Makes more sense now that you're a teacher." He looked shocked at my comments before giving me a small smirk.

"Well, you might just make it through this year as my sidekick, Muffle," he said as he began to get up from the piano bench. Feeling the panic beginning to set in again, I reached up and grabbed the sleeve of his black shirt causing him to stop and look at me with a questioning expression.

"Um… If it's not too much to ask, Shouta-kun, would you mind sitting by me for the performance?... It might help me relax a little bit if I have somebody with me that I can trust," I admitted sheepishly, looking at the ivory keys in front of me, too embarrassed to look him in the face as I asked, letting go of his sleeve, fully expecting him to get up and deny my request.

To my surprise, I felt the weight return on the bench beside me, and I smiled to myself as Hizashi-nii's voice could suddenly be heard in the booth we were in.

"_Now listeners, tonight we have a special treat for all of you! It's been years since this special guest has made a guest appearance on my show, so it is my great pleasure to reintroduce Pro Hero: Muffle, who will be performing a song just for the listeners of Hands Up Radio! Take it away, Muffle!"_ Looking into the other room through the clear glass, I saw Nii-san encouraging me with a smile and huge thumbs up as I returned his smile before taking a deep breath and beginning the song.

_I've gotta keep the calm before the storm_

_I don't want less, I don't want more_

_Must bar the windows and the doors_

_To keep me safe, to keep me warm_

_Yeah my life is what I'm fighting for_

_Can't part the sea, can't reach the shore_

_And my voice becomes the driving force_

_I won't let this pull me overboard_

_Gotta keep my head above water_

_Don't let me drown, it gets harder_

_I'll meet you there at the altar_

_As I fall down to my knees_

_Don't let me drown, drown, drown_

_Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown_

_So pull me up from down below_

_'Cause I'm underneath the undertow_

_Come dry me off and hold me close_

_I need you now I need you most_

_Gotta keep my head above water_

_Don't let me drown, it gets harder_

_I'll meet you there at the altar_

_As I fall down to my knees_

_Don't let me drown, drown, drown_

_(Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown)_

_Don't let me drown, drown, drown_

_And keep my head above water_

_(Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown)_

_Above water_

_And I can't see in the stormy weather_

_I can't seem to keep it all together_

_And I can't swim the ocean like this forever_

_And I can't breathe_

_Gotta keep my head above water_

_I lose my breath at the bottom_

_Come rescue me, I'll be waiting_

_I'm too young to fall asleep_

_Gotta keep my head above water_

_Don't let me drown, it gets harder_

_I'll meet you there at the altar_

_As I fall down to my knees_

_Don't let me drown_

_Don't let me drown_

_(Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown)_

_Don't let me drown_

_And keep my head above water_

_(Don't let me, don't let me, don't let me drown)_

_Above water_

-Shouta POV-

The second Shinobu started playing the piano, it was like I was entranced. My eyes couldn't go anywhere else. She looked so emotional and happy as she played. Then, she started to sing. Her voice was so much stronger and louder than I had ever heard it. The musicality of her voice was only proven with each note she hit, and I found myself in awe of the woman I was sitting beside.

It was so obvious that this woman had faced way too much for her age, but she was so determined to keep going. The lyrics to the songs seemed to reflect her emotions as she allowed herself to be lost in the lyrics and the playing of the piano. I found myself silently thanking Hizashi for dragging me along to this. As she reached the last _Don't let me drown_, her chartreuse eyes fluttered open to meet mine as she gave me a smile that I swear could not have been good for my heart. Only one thought crossed my mind as our eyes met, and I found myself returning her smile with a small sincere one of my own.

_This woman is gonna be the death of me I swear._

Song: Head Above Water by Avril Lavigne

**A/N:**

**I know the song talks about God in it, and while I'm totally cool with this and I love the song as it is, it does not fit the idea of what Shinobu was trying to convey in this chapter. Since they are in Japan, where Shintoism and Buddhism are the most prominent religions, her singing about God in this situation did not make sense. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! :) **


	8. Ch 7: Struggles

-Shouta's POV-

Today was set to be Shinobu's first day as my sidekick, and I knew it would be a bit stressful for her considering Nezu and I had just confronted her with the proposals yesterday. I was currently waiting at one of the training grounds at UA that I had gotten permission from Nezu to use while training Shinobu with hand to hand combat. There was a chance of us going on patrol, but Hizashi had volunteered to take the patrol for us so that I could do some "bonding" with Shinobu so she wouldn't be so nervous around me.

"Don't get any funny ideas though, Shouta! She's still my baby cousin!" Hizashi had warned with a glare that I guess was supposed to be intimidating. I had rolled my eyes at his comment, but had refused to respond. As an introverted person, I was already very aware of my growing admiration for the silver-haired heroine, but I was determined for it to be purely a platonic admiration for a coworker. No more. No less.

My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the woman in question. She was in a black, skin tight long sleeved workout shirt and a pair dark gray leggings with lavender sneakers. Her long silver hair was pulled into a high ponytail with a black headband that kept her hair out of her face. There was a nervous glint to her vibrant green eyes as she approached me with a small wave which I returned with a small nod.

"Alright. You're a bit early, but that doesn't mean we should waste any time," I stated, my expression and tone bored as ever as I tied my hair into a low messy bun, "Today, we're going to be working on your hand-to-hand combat. Your quirk is similar to mine in that it doesn't have any offensive power. I know you carry your scythe, but if you become disarmed, you still need to be able to defend yourself." She simply nodded, looking more nervous before taking a deep breath and looking much more determined than before. I took a roll of bandages out of my pocket and threw them to her. She caught them, but gave me a confused look.

"Wrap your knuckles. It'll minimize injuries during our sparring. Just know, I'm not going to hold back," I explained, showing my already wrapped knuckles. Shinobu didn't respond verbally. She merely nodded before quickly wrapping her own knuckles and tossing the bandages to me, which I then put back in my pocket.

"Is your hearing cancelled?" I inquired, activating my quirk to cancel hers just in case as she shook her head no, "Then, why aren't you speaking?" She looked at me before nervously speaking, her voice hoarse and painfully scratchy sounding.

"Zashi-nii trained me with my voice quirk first thing this morning for 3 hours. It hurts to speak," she explained as she signed along with it, "I'm sorry, Shouta-san… I didn't mean to appear rude." I shook my head, dismissing her apology.

"It's fine. I wasn't aware Hizashi had already started your voice quirk training," I responded before getting into a fighting stance as she did the same, "Luckily, your ability to do combat training won't be affected by that. Let's not waste anymore time." She nodded with a determined look in her eyes that almost made them seem to shine. _Dammit, Shouta. She's Hizashi's younger cousin and your sidekick who you are SUPPOSED to be focused on training at the moment. Focus!_

Because of my distraction from my internal argument, I just barely dodged a right hook from the petite heroine in front of me. Now that she was off balance, I launched a strong right hook of my own right into her abdomen, successfully knocking the wind out of her and landing her on her ass.

To my surprise, she jumped up in little to no time at all and was charging right back at me, seeming to prepare to give another right hook. As I went to block it, I was shocked to see her kick my legs out from under me before jumping over me and pinning me down in an attempt to immobilize me.

I noticed her face was tinted red, but I was unsure whether it was from the exertion or from our close proximity. Deciding to take advantage of her nervousness, I leaned upward to where our faces were only inches apart and gave her a small smirk. Her face turned a deep red, reinforcing that she was in fact flustered by our position. Using that to my advantage, I leaned up even further to where our lips were almost touching, causing her to loosen her grip on me in nervousness as I quickly freed my arms and flipped her over to her stomach, holding her arm down behind her back.

"Don't let yourself get flustered by a lack of distance with your target. Your technique isn't bad, but your confidence needs some work," I critiqued, pulling her arm back slightly earning a small whimper from the girl below me before letting her go and getting up. She stretched her arm and rotated her shoulder a couple of times before fixing me with a glare.

"Again," she said, her voice a bit stronger than earlier. I nodded, happy with her determination but not showing it on my face. I got back into a fighting stance, and this time I came at her.

-Time Skip (4 hours later) Shinobu's POV-

_Four freaking hours. Shouta has been kicking my ass for four freaking hours._ After my initial attack where I had managed to pin Shouta, I had not been very successful in my attacks to say the least. The raven-haired man in front of me was insane in terms of physical skill and hand to hand combat. I'm sure my body would be sore and covered in bruises for the foreseeable future.

"Come on, Shinobu. Last time. Try and get a hit on me this time," Shouta stated bluntly, getting into a fighting stance.

Subconsciously, I pushed my sleeves halfway up my forearms before getting into a fighting stance as well, feeling a bit shaky but determined to get at least one last good hit on the underground hero in front of me. Before he could come at me, I ran at him aiming a right hook towards his stomach. He caught my fist and went to twist it, but I flipped with it aiming a kick for his head as I did so. He barely ducked causing me to land awkwardly and twist my wrist that was still in his hand. Fortunately, Shouta had let go before my wrist could snap from the motion.

"DAMMIT!" I yelped, accidentally using my Voice quirk causing a sharp pain in my throat which earned another whimper from me as I held my now limp wrist.

Shouta looked at me with a hard expression in his usually bored looking onyx eyes. He walked over to me before gently grabbing my wrist and turning it to where my palm was facing him. As his eyes zeroed in on my wrist, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. That's when I realized…

"Shinobu, does Hizashi know about these?" Shouta inquired bluntly, and I grimaced as I looked at what had caught his eyes. My wrists were littered with puffy white thin lines indicative of my struggles with depression. That would have been embarrassing enough on its own, but over those white lines were several fresh red lines where I had resorted to my scythe the night before. Shaking my head no, I refused to meet his eyes.

"Shinobu." I still wouldn't look up at him.

"Hey." My gaze stayed fixated on my wrist as though it were the most interesting thing in the world as tears welled up in my eyes. All that effort was for not though as a warm and calloused hand gripped my chin and tilted my head upwards. I looked to the side instead of forward to what I was certain would be an angry and/or disappointed expression on Shouta's face.

"You're not in trouble, Shinobu, and I'm not mad at you," Shouta assured me, his voice much softer similar to how he spoke to me after the attack the other day, "I won't tell Hizashi either, but in order for me to agree to that, I need you to look at me and talk to me." That caused me to look at him in shock. His tired onyx eyes were full of concern and… understanding? He gave me a small half smirk as he released his grip on my chin and held his hand out to me, pulling his own long black sleeve back.

An audible gasp left my lips as I gently traced the raised white scars on his wrist without thinking about it. After a couple of seconds, I realized what I was doing and yanked my hand back, an embarrassed pink blush dusting my freckled cheeks.

"S-sorry, Shouta-san," I apologized, my voice quite small and quivering slightly from nerves. A small low chuckle was heard that caused my face to flush an even deeper red. _He should laugh more often. It's nice. No, bad Shinobu. Focus._

"You're fine. And I told you, you don't have to put the -san on my name. I showed you because I wanted to let you know that I understand how you feel. Now, will you tell me what triggered it for you this time?" he soothed, his voice and expression somewhat bored but his words showing his concern.

"I was mad at myself for what happened the other day," I admitted after a few minutes as I wrapped the bandage around my aching wrist that I guessed was more than likely sprained.

"Why were you mad at yourself? That wasn't your fault," Shouta responded, his voice having a very slight edge to it as I shook my head in disagreement.

"I caused an inconvenience to you and caused Hizashi-nii to worry unnecessarily. I'm a pro-hero for god's sake. A couple of thugs shouldn't have even been able to touch me like that. I'm an embarrassment," I vented, my quiet voice growing slightly as I let out the frustration and pain I had felt as I had allowed my scythe to slice through the skin on my wrist two nights prior.

"It wasn't a couple of thugs, Shinobu. It was 7 full grown men. And you managed to single-handedly stop them before they completely took advantage of you… Despite being anxious and terrified and not in your hero costume, you defeated them. That does not make you an embarrassment. You're being irrational about this," Shouta countered, trying to comfort me in his own way I guess. Logical and rationality seems to kind of be his crutch.

"There's more to it, isn't there?" he continued to press, causing me to look down in embarrassment.

"The other part is stupid…" I muttered and signed as I stared at the ground in front of me.

"Whatever is bothering you to the point that it played a part in you self-harming is not stupid. I need you to tell me, so that I know for sure that you're going to be okay," Shouta reasoned as he walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him shyly before looking away with a blush.

"That bastard stole my first kiss," I muttered, barely audible, my face turning scarlet. Shouta's hand tightened on my shoulder.

"What? I couldn't hear you," he encouraged leaning down a bit so he could hear me better.

"I said that bastard stole my first kiss!" I snapped, my voice still quiet but louder than usual for me, "I've never been involved in any kind of romantic relationship or anything, so I'm 24 years old and some disgusting thug stole my first kiss. And like a child, I'm upset about it!" Shouta's hand released my shoulder, and I started to run off before he could laugh at me.

To my surprise, his arm wrapped around my shoulder and pulled me into him into a small hug. I tensed up and cancelled my hearing for only a moment before it returned. Looking up, I saw Shouta's onyx eyes glowing a crimson red and his black hair defying gravity before he blinked and deactivated his quirk.

"There's no need to be embarrassed about that, and you're allowed to be upset. That wasn't his to take," Shouta pointed out, "Don't worry about being embarrassed around me. If I can handle being around Hizashi for 10 years, then I don't think you will do anything that I find remotely embarrassing." I nodded and pulled away from his hug.

"Thank you, Shouta," I thanked him with a small smile on my face, "It's getting late. Are we done for the day?" Shouta nodded.

"But don't forget. Your first day as a TA at UA is tomorrow. Classes start at 8AM sharp. Do not be late," Shouta informed me, his teacher's tone of voice back. I nodded in understanding before turning to leave.

"Shinobu," Shouta called out as he walked up beside me causing me to look at him as I walked, "Let me walk you home. It's getting late, and you were getting shaky near the end of training. Plus, I'm pretty sure Hizashi would bust my eardrums if I didn't." I giggled at the thought of my older cousin annoying the kind but odd man beside me. I nodded, smiling slightly to myself despite the emotional night I had had with Shouta.

_Maybe these two jobs really will be able to help me to start a new chapter of my life. Here's hoping._

Song: The Last of The Real Ones by FallOut Boy


	9. Ch 8: Unanswered Questions

-Shinobu's POV-

I willed myself not to cancel my own hearing as I walked down the familiar halls of UA, sucking on a cherry flavored cough drop to try and soothe my sore throat from practicing with my quirk so much the day before. It was only 730am which meant I was 30 minutes early. I had snuck out while Hizashi-nii had been doing his hair for the day, so that I could try and calm down and handle the whole thing by myself. Depending on him and Shouta to feel safe would not do me any good.

That was all a good idea in theory until I realized I had no freaking clue where the teacher's lounge was, and I ended up lost. It was 750am now, and I had a meeting in the teacher's lounge at 8am. _Ughhhhh! Good job, Shinobu! This is what you get for trying to prove you could handle something without them. What kind of pro hero gets lost in the same school they graduated from? This is embarrassing!_ My thoughts were interrupted as I ran smack into a firm back and landed on my ass, letting out a quiet sigh of frustration and embarrassment as I looked up to see a large, slightly tanned hand reaching out to help me up.

The man in front of me had on in a red and black skin tight hero suit with a deep v revealing a very muscular chest as well as a concerned expression shown in his red eyes and frown that revealed two sharp teeth that stuck out of closed lips. He looked at my hero costume curiously before commenting.

"Students don't have permission to wear anything other than the uniform except for during hero training," he stated gruffly, "Now whose class are you supposed to be in right now?" _He thinks I'm a student? Come on! I don't look that young!_ I gave him a small glare and opened my mouth to speak, my voice clear after resting it the night before.

"I'm not a student. I'm the new TA," I answered as I hesitantly took his hand, and he helped me up, his red eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't hear anything about a new TA. Who are you a TA for?" he accused. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. _I should've just come with Nii-san or asked to walk with Shouta._

"She's my TA, Vlad. Back off."

Speak of the handsome devil, and he shall appear.

"Why the hell do you need a TA, Aizawa? You expelled your whole class this year!" the man I now knew to be Vlad asked Shouta, clearly irritated. I looked at Shouta who was in his full hero costume, that while simple, really suited him, and I fought back a blush as his onyx eyes met mine.

"She's training to be a TA for the whole school. As for why she's with me, she has a quirk that she struggles to control at times, so Nezu thought it would be the best option," Shouta responded plainly as he walked up beside me. The two stared at each other for several moments before I cleared my throat slightly to get their attention, earning a momentarily surprised expression from Shouta at my assertiveness in a social situation that should have me running for the hills.

"Sorry for the confusion, Vlad-san. My name is Yamada Shinobu or you can call me by my hero name Muffle. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you," I greeted respectfully, unable to stop myself from signing nervously as I did so while giving a bow before nervously meeting the large man's eyes momentarily before feeling intimidated and looking away.

"Hmph… Don't worry about it. Sorry for not believing you. And the name's Kan Seikijirou. My hero name is Vlad King," the man responded, his gruff voice much warmer than before as he gave me a small smile I saw out of the corner of my eye. I nodded before turning to Shouta who was looking at me, his expression unreadable.

"Good morning, Shouta," I greeted with a small smile. He nodded in acknowledgement.

"Morning. How's your wrist feeling?" he asked, looking at my still wrapped wrist, "You should have Recovery Girl heal that after the meeting." I shrugged before my eyes widened when I realized…

"The meeting! We're going to be late!" I exclaimed, my voice still quieter than average as I began to frantically look around. Shouta put his hand on my head to get me to stop.

"Chill out. The teacher's lounge is literally right there," he stated pointing two doors down from where I was and I literally facepalmed causing Shouta to remark, "You came without Hizashi and got lost didn't you." I glared at him, my eyes turning black as I cancelled out his sight, hearing, and sense of touch for just a moment, causing him to stumble slightly as the feeling returned back into his legs, earning me a half-hearted glare.

"Ahem," Vlad-san interrupted causing us both to look to him, "We should go before we are late." Nodding in agreement, I followed him, walking beside Shouta. When we reached the door to the teacher's lounge, I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves before opening the door and walking inside.

"NOBUUUUUUUUU! THERE YOU ARE! I WAs so worried!" The loud quirk enhanced shout of my older cousin rang out in the room accompanied with me being tackled by said blonde, only decreasing when Shouta erased his quirk.

"Awwww! Who is this, Mic? A secret lover? Oooo so scandalous!" an overly seductive voice commented causing me to get more nervous and also grossed out at the thought as I looked up to see none other than the R-rated hero, Midnight. I felt my chest get tight from anxiety as I felt all the eyes in the room move to me and Zashi-nii.

"Nii-san, people are staring," I whispered nervously causing him to release me from the hug before looking at me apologetically.

"Sorry, Nobu! I just got so worried when I couldn't find you this morning," he admitted with a concerned smile on his face.

"Relax, idiot. She's a pro hero. She can manage herself," Shouta's bored voice interrupted everyone staring at us to also stare at him too. My hearing began to flash in and out as I realized I was losing control of my quirk from my nerves. It quit doing this, and I looked over to see Shouta with red eyes and gravity defying hair as I nodded in thanks

"Oh right! Everyone! This is my little cousin, Yamada Shinobu, or the silent hero: Muffle! She's our new TA!" Hizashi introduced me excitedly as I noticed everyone's confused faces turning to one of understanding and I let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding.

"N-nice to meet you everyone. I look forward to working with all of you," I added, my voice quiet as per usual but a bit shaky from the nerves.

"Are we sure she's related to Mic? She's so quiet," a man I recognized as the pro hero Ectoplasm commented, earning a laugh from the rest of the teachers and causing me to giggle slightly as well.

"Shinobu, come on," Shouta stated, motioning for me to follow him. I did so, and ended up sitting between him and Vlad-san. Hizashi-nii looked a bit upset about this, but I gave him a small reassuring smile that he enthusiastically returned before Nezu came in and started the meeting.

The meeting had been fairly straight forward. It was mostly an introduction of me to the rest of the faculty, letting them know about my two quirks as well as the fact that I would basically be shadowing Shouta for the year until I could get both of my quirks completely under control. Everyone seemed very understanding of the whole situation to which I was insanely grateful for. Despite my anxious disposition, I found myself relaxing a bit by the end of the meeting as each of the other teachers introduced themselves to me.  
After the meeting ended, Shouta showed me around campus as a refresher especially after I admitted to getting lost this morning. We went over how the classes work at UA, which wasn't much different from when I had went there, as well as who taught what classes, and what my responsibilities as a TA would be. By the time we finished going over my responsibilities, it was lunch time and Shouta led me to the cafeteria. I ordered a simple miso soup that I then took with us to the teacher's lounge. Meanwhile, the raven-haired man beside me just drank a juice box.

Once we reached the teacher's lounge, Shouta showed me where my desk was before pulling out a giant yellow sleeping bag that seemed to self inflate when he pulled it out of his pocket. He climbed into and zipped it up before laying down on the floor next to my desk and closing his eyes.

"Um…. Shouta-kun?" I called out curiously causing him to hum and open one tired onyx eye in response, "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping. Wake me up when lunch is over," he stated before closing his eyes, seeming to pass out instantaneously as I suppressed a giggle. _He looks like a giant yellow caterpillar._

"Aizawa decide to nap instead of eating lunch again?" a gruff voice asked from beside me. I turned to see Vlad sitting at the desk beside me and nodded.

"Good afternoon, Vlad-san," I greeted as I began to eat my lunch.

"You can call me, Seikijirou," the man beside me stated, his voice a little less confident than I had heard it before, and when I looked at him in confusion, he didn't meet my eyes.

"Um… Wouldn't that be rude?" I asked nervously, really not wanting to offend anyone on my first day at the job.

"Hmph… You call Aizawa by his first name," he pointed out bluntly causing my face to flush as I looked down at the underground hero currently passed out on the floor beside my desk.

"Ah… Yeah… He and Hizashi-nii have been best friends for years, so it's kind of the only thing I hear him called," I claimed but even to me it sounded a bit like an excuse, "Plus, he asked me to." Looking at Vlad, I see him give a small smile.

"Well, I'm asking you to as well. Besides, you don't have to only be close to people that Mic is," he reasoned, his face tinted red. I tilted my head to the side slightly in confusion before deciding to let it go and giving the large man a small smile.

"A-Alright, Seikijirou-san. Then, please call me Shinobu. I don't really like to be called Yamada-san or something," I admitted shyly while signing, earning a smirk from the large blood hero. He looked almost proud? _What an odd man… Oh well… At least everyone here seems friendly!_

Lunch continued with pleasant conversation between Seikijirou and I as we found we both worked under the same hero, just at different times. My mentor, Nightshade, had been his as well. We had a lot of fun talking about the trouble people got into when he was there and all the times I got sent to her office for accidentally pricking myself on one of her less than safe plants.

Nightshade was an older heroine whose quirk allowed her to make poisonous plants as well as create plants that worked as antidotes for those poisons. When I first graduate UA, she was one of the only heroes willing to take on a sidekick that had a known "villainous quirk" as well as struggling to control it. She had taken me under her wing and worked with me to control my sensory cancellation quirk. Unfortunately, her decision to retire is what cost me my job and caused me to have to move back to Musutafu. She had even called Nii-san ahead of time to let him know of her decision and made sure I could come stay with him. Nightshade was my mentor, but she had very much treated me like a daughter; though, I didn't share all this with Seikijirou. These were feelings I hadn't even expressed to her. It made me miss my own mom. _Stop, Shinobu. Don't go there. You won't be able to get out of it._

"Shinobu, lunch is over," a low, tired voice stated as a hand was put on my shoulder, shaking me slightly out of my thoughts, causing me to look up to see a slightly concerned Shouta and an obviously worried Seikijirou.

"Hey, Shinobu, are you okay? I didn't mean to offend you by asking… You could just say no," Seikijirou said gruffly, his expression slightly embarrassed. I shook my head in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Seikijirou-san," I apologized noticing the slight narrowing of Shouta's eyes at me calling him by his first name, "I got lost and didn't hear your question." The blood hero looked relieved before repeating himself.

"I asked if you would like to go get coffee with me after work? Ya know, share more stories about Nightshade's agency or what's changed since you left this area," he asked, his face looking slightly more nervous.

I blushed nervously. Now, I had never been in a romantic relationship in my life. But even I knew when I was being asked on a date. The thought made me nervous. I mean yeah Seikijirou-san seemed nice and all, but I barely knew the guy! _Nightshade did say I should try and live my life differently when I came back to Musutafu though… What's the harm in going on one date? If it doesn't go well, I can just tell him I want to be just friends right?_ With that thought, I took a breath to answer but was interrupted.

"She's busy this weekend."

Shouta's usually tired voice had a slight edge to it, and I looked at him in confusion. Seikijirou took notice of my expression and glared at the underground hero.

"Really?" he challenged standing up, towering over Shouta with his massive form, though Shouta looked undeterred.

"Yes. Really. She has quirk training and patrols this weekend as part of her other job," Shouta responded, not looking away from Seikijirou's glare. I sighed. _Of course. I forgot I work two jobs now._ Standing between the two of them, I looked up at Seikijirou apologetically.

"Sorry, Seikijirou-san. Since I just moved to the area, I'm still getting used to my new schedule," I apologized with a small bow earning a small nod in understanding from the large blood hero.

"No problem. Just let me know when you get used to it, Shinobu. Maybe we can plan for after work on one of your days off from your other job," Seikijirou suggested optimistically with a small smile at me before shooting a look at Shouta before saying goodbye and taking his leave, leaving Shouta and I in the teacher's lounge alone.

"Shinobu," Shouta stated causing me to look at him in acknowledgment, "You do realize he was asking you on a date, right?" I nodded and he quirked an eyebrow. "So you wanted to go on a date with him?" I shrugged. "That's not a very reassuring answer." I shrugged again, not wanting to explain myself to the raven-haired male. Wanting to avoid discussing the issue further, I walked toward the door, fully aware of his onyx eyes boring into my back, so I decided to make sure he didn't follow me.

"Bathroom," I answered his unspoken question of where I was going, leaving Shouta in the teacher's lounge alone with his other unanswered questions and leaving with dozens of my own.

Song: Waves by Dean Lewis


	10. Ch 9: Strength Like Silence

-Shinobu's POV-

It had been over a month since I had started working both of my jobs, and I was running on fumes. It worked out that I was a bit of an insomniac, but with my sleeping schedule being inconsistent between working nights at least 4 times a week as well as working during the day at UA.

Despite all of this, I still made sure to make time to cook dinner and prepare lunches for Hizashi-nii because it was one of the only ways I could really thank him for allowing me to stay with him on such short notice, especially since he wouldn't allow me to help with rent at all. Even though I made sure Hizashi had his meals taken care of, I rarely found time to eat. Seikijirou had also given up on asking me about coffee after about two weeks and just asked me to let him know when I had time.

That was when I noticed Shouta increasing the time of our patrols, which looking back, I realized he had done every time Seikijirou mentioned meeting up outside of work. To be honest, it confused me, and I couldn't figure out why that was happening. Something told me it would have been obvious to any other person, but I frankly was not functioning well on my one meal and maybe 4 hours of sleep a day.

At my frustration, I released a loud yell at the boulders in the training building that I was currently in. By myself. At 2AM. Now, with all of my complaining, you may be wondering why I was here and not sleeping or eating. Two things: 1. I literally cannot sleep right now due to my anxiety that's been building up over the past month and 2. I'm just not hungry. I had gotten into these two bad habits during my work, and I was starting to understand Shouta's consistently scruffy appearance.

Thinking of the underground hero had me even more frustrated. He had started to be in my thoughts more and more often, even when we weren't together which frankly wasn't often. We may not spend tons of time talking about anything other than work, but he did regularly check on me to make sure I wasn't cutting again and was always quick to make sure any injuries I got during patrols or combat training were immediately seen to. After his stunt during our initial combat training, I found myself getting more and more flustered any time he got too close.

Despite his outward appearance and persona of being constantly tired and strict with students, Shouta clearly cared about the wellbeing of others. That's why he became an underground hero. He had admitted to me during one of our few conversations that had gotten a bit more personal, that he had never wanted to be a hero for fame. Instead, he merely wanted to help those in need, to make sure that there was one less victim of the atrocious acts often committed by villains. It was admirable on its own, and his usually apathetic tone had changed to one of conviction as he had expressed all of this while staring down at the city below us.

I had caught myself staring in awe at the man beside me and taking in his features unintentionally. His inky black hair had been blown out of his face by the gentle breeze that had graced us that night, revealing a strong jawline littered with scraggly black facial hair, piercing onyx eyes, and a muscular neck that led to broad shoulders. _Shit… I've got it bad… He's your boss, Shinobu! And Nii-san's best friend! What the hell!_

Luckily, I had managed to look away before he caught me staring that night, but still… I couldn't get the man out of my head. It was messing with my already anxiety-ridden mind, and I found myself growing more and more frustrated with myself with no way to get it out. There were no friends for me to talk to. Well, I had one, but he was always busy or at least that was my excuse for not contacting him about this. Kamihara Shinya, more commonly known as the Ninja Hero: Edgeshot, the no. 5 hero in Japan. He had been one of the sidekicks at Nightshade's agency before me, and since he and I had similar fighting styles and personalities, Nightshade had convinced him to train me.

We had hit it off right away and remained friends over the years. I had actually told him in a text that I was returning to Musutafu, and he had offered to take me on a sidekick, but I hadn't wanted to affect his reputation. Also, being the number 5 hero meant dealing with the press, something I was not the least bit interested in.

Shinya, Nii-san, and Shouta were really the extent of my friend circle, which meant I had no one to go to for advice in this situation. Nii-san would be pissed if I found out about my developing feelings for Shouta or tease me about it to no end, neither of which appealed to me. Shinya would tell me to just tell him and then move on based on his response, which would work if I fully understood my feelings for the dark haired man or anything about how to approach something like this. More than likely I would just end up cancelling both of our senses before Shouta could even think to cancel my quirk. The more I thought about the whole thing, the more my brain just seemed to go in circles, causing a pressure and frustration that I had to let out before I did something stupid.

"FUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK!" I yelled loudly as frustrated tears streamed down my cheeks, my Voice quirk successfully destroying an entire boulder to small rocks and dust in seconds.

"Well you've definitely gotten stronger with your Voice quirk," a deep voice commented from behind me, and I felt my heart drop. _Not him… Not now…_ Refusing to look back at the source of my frustrations that was now behind me, I spoke in my usual tone, quiet, and trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"What are you doing here so late, Shouta-kun?" I questioned softly. A large, calloused was placed on my bare shoulder, and I tried to hide my face in my long silver hair.

"I should be asking you that question. You should be sleeping," Shouta responded trying to pull me gently to face him but I stayed bolted to where I was.

"I have permission from Nezu-san to be here. Plus, I can't sleep, and being able to control my Voice quirk is one of my conditions for both of my jobs anyways," I pointed out while signing, keeping my eyes trained on my feet, trying my best to not accidentally cancel either of our senses.

"Why are you doing this to yourself? Nothing will be gained by running yourself completely into the ground. It's irrational," he reasoned, but I wasn't ready to admit that he had a point. Plus, I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to. Not wanting to talk about the issue seriously, especially not with the source of most of my stress and confusion, I decided to try and play it off.

"Well, ya know… Go beyond… Plus Ultra… That's U.A.'s motto. If I'm going to help students, I should try and embrace the same values," I deflected, trying to let out a laugh but it was more of a humorless puff of air.

Based on the several moments of deafening silence, I had begun to determine that he was going to let it go and leave me alone; however, I never heard Shouta move, nor did his hand move from my shoulder. If he was trying to silent treatment me into spilling what was stressing me out, he had another thing coming. I spent years in a lonely deafening silence. It was more of a comfort for me at this point. Sometimes all the noise in the world around me overwhelmed me now, so standing there, in silence, with a warm calloused hand grounding me was almost more comfort than I could handle. Except that hand belonged to a man that had caused me a lot of confusion… _Dammit, Shinobu! You know this is impossible! You should just let it go and not let it bother you anymore… _

"Shinobu," Shouta uttered quietly, removing his hand from my shoulder and moving it to cup my cheek causing me to look up at him in shock and recoil slightly at his touch, causing a somewhat concerned expression to cross his face, "What's going on?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," I answered honestly while signing.

"Do you want to talk to Hizashi?"

Again, I shook my head no.

"Nightshade?"

I shook my head again a bit sad. Despite her motherly attitude towards me, when I tried to call her last week, she had apparently disappeared off the face of the earth. This wasn't too concerning. In spite of her older age, Nightshade had always been prone to up and leave for random adventures though she never told anyone where she was going. She was an odd old woman, had been one since before I had met her according to Vlad and Edgeshot.

"Do you have anyone you can talk to about whatever is causing you to be so frustrated that you're dropping f-bombs capable of destroying boulders at a high school at 2AM?"

Again, I shook my head immediately, earning a slightly annoyed huff of air to leave Shouta.

"Don't worry about it, Shouta-kun. I'll be fine. I'm being stupid. It happens sometimes," I stated plainly, my soft voice devoid of emotion as I began to force myself to shut down to try and avoid what was going through my head.

"Do we need to decrease the frequency of patrols during the week?"

His question shocked me. _Did I need that? Would he think I'm weak if I said yes._ My mind began racing trying to find the right answer as though Shouta was testing me. Tears began to sting my dry and tired eyes as my chartreuse green eyes met his onyx ones. Trying my best to blink them back, I shook my head and gave a shaky small smile. His expression softened again.

\- Shouta's POV-

This woman was lying and was determined to not let me know whatever it was that was bothering her, but whatever it was, it was affecting her health at this point. She was trying to handle everything by herself, and from what I've observed of her the past month, this was a bad habit of hers, not that I had any room to talk.

When her eyes filled with tears, I found myself wanting to comfort her and help her with whatever was hurting her so much. Shinobu didn't cry much until she was at her breaking point, at least that was what I had observed, and Hizashi had confirmed that when I asked him about it.

The silver haired heroine in front of me was starting to really get under my skin. I couldn't handle it when Vlad kept asking her on dates. In order to prevent her from going, I had been increasing our patrols or changing the times to where there was no chance for her to go. It was lamentable, petty, and embarrassing to admit, even to myself. Even with all of these extra patrols, I found myself keeping a close eye on Shinobu, doing my best to make sure that her injuries were treated quickly, even doing so myself when it didn't look like she needed to go see Recovery Girl. She seemed like she had been handling everything fairly well which is why I hadn't stopped pushing her.

Shinobu was strong. I had seen that from the first day I met her, but she was strong in the way that silence is. The longer you are around her, the more you become aware of it. Initially, her strength, like silence, is unsettling and hard to notice, but once you realize what you're in the presence of, you find yourself admiring it and thankful for its constant presence.

Yes, Shinobu's strength was silent. It's why one never notices until something causes it to crack, to break. And in front of me, right now, Shinobu was breaking, and I had no idea how to fix it…

Song: Conversations in the Dark by John Legend


	11. Ch 10: Silence Breaks

-Shouta's POV-

I watched the heroine in front of me begin to break down, and I found myself at a loss as to what to say. Something was weighing Shinobu down, and I found myself just wanting to help her lift whatever it was that was burdening her so much. Frustrated with my inability to know what to say to help her, I acted instinctively, which in this case was completely irrational. Reaching out to Shinobu, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in a tight embrace and pulled her head to my chest.

"I'm no good at this sort of thing, but I'm here if you need to talk to someone. I… I want to listen," I admitted, trying not to revert to my bored tone that I kept for most people. Shinobu trembled in my arms before finally speaking, her lyrical soft voice strained and full of tension.

"How much has Nii-san told you about me?" she asked timidly, her voice full of pain. I thought for a moment.

"He told me about what happened with your parents," I admitted as I felt her freeze for a moment before her trembling got even worse, "That was not your fault, Shinobu."

"Yes, it was!" Shinobu yelled, her voice still quieter than most when she yelled, her voice full of anguish, "They're in a mental hospital, and I'm not allowed to see them because the medical professionals have deemed me the cause. Even Yamada-ojii-san blames me for it." I held her tighter, almost like I was trying to hold the woman in my arms together, but it was too late. She had shattered.

"Shinobu-" I started trying to calm her down but she interrupted me.

"Wanna know what's wrong with me, Shouta? I cause trouble. For everyone I come into contact with. I was an inconvenience to Nightshade. I destroyed my parents' sanity. I'm burdening Hizashi-nii-san because now he worries about me too much to even have me live on my own. Nezu-san offered me a job that literally did nothing but burden you and the other teachers more. You offered me this sidekick position, and I find myself mentally complaining about the crazy hours which is ridiculous. I have two quirks that I control well enough to not be a potential hazard to others around me even though I'm a pro hero. And despite all of this, I still find myself having feelings for you that I have no right to have-" at that last sentence I felt my eyes widen at her confession as she slapped her hand over her mouth and let out a panicked sob. I activated my quirk before she could cancel both of our senses in her panic and spoke softly to her.

-Shinobu's POV-

_Great job, Shinobu! You fucked up again! You finally had someone to talk to and had done all these nice things for you and you have a mental breakdown and tell him your feelings for him. You know you don't deserve to feel like this towards anyone! You've hurt everyone you've cared about! What is wrong with you?_

As I berated myself for my stupid slip up, I found myself shaking like a leaf and tried to push Shouta away. I didn't want to face his rejection or deal with the fact that I had just majorly messed up the opportunities that he had put his neck out to help me obtain. Zashi-nii had told me that everything with Nezu had been suggested by Shouta, and now I just screwed up.

"Shinobu," Shouta called gently, tightening his arms around me, not allowing me to escape, "Why do you think you don't deserve to have feelings for me?" _What? Out of all of that, that's what his concern is… Did he not hear how messed up I am?_ I took a deep breath to try and calm my shaking voice.

"I don't deserve to have feelings for anyone," I corrected which was the truth. I felt like I didn't have the right to have romantic feelings towards anyone, not just him. It just so happens that he was the first person that I had ever felt strong enough to actually say it aloud, even if it was an accident.

"Why?" he pushed. I paused before I stopped trying to get away from him, realizing that this man had way more muscle than I had from years of being a pro and focusing on his physical fitness.

"I cause problems for anyone who gets close to me. After what I did to my parents, destroying their lives, inconveniencing Nii-san's parents, taking away Oji-san's brother from him, I don't deserve to have feelings for someone," I admitted, my voice slowly losing its anger and fading to a tone of solemn acceptance, "Besides, anyone I had feelings for that knew about my past would run for the hills. As they should. No one wants to be with a freak with a villain's quirk."

That last statement was verbatim what I had heard time and time again from people in schools growing up. While everyone else was talking about crushes, someone would always find a chance to throw that comment in when I walked within earshot, and it had stuck with me. _After all, it's the truth._ My thoughts were interrupted as Shouta grasped my chin gently and tilted my face to meet his onyx gaze. Gone was his typical bored and tired expression. In its place was a gentle expression with a concerned frown.

"I'm not running for the hills," Shouta said softly, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a sad smile, "It's irrational that you think so little of yourself." I scoffed at this, a laugh without humor.

"It's practical and the truth," I countered. Shouta shook his head and let out a small sigh.

"You really don't see it do you?"

"See what?"

"Your good qualities." I scoffed again and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Shinobu, your strength is admirable," Shouta started bluntly, continuing despite my adamant shaking of my head, "You've blamed yourself for what happened to your parents for all these years, but have still managed to become a hero even while having two quirks that are hard to control. You struggle with crippling anxiety, but still push yourself to do things that should have you hiding in terror. You've dealt with self-harm and guilt and the feeling of being a burden and wanting to do everything by yourself, and you're still here. You haven't given up despite all of that." I shook my head again, tears in my eyes.

"Please stop," I begged. I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't want to hear good things about myself because if I did maybe I would start to believe them. And I had no right to do that, to feel good about myself.

"You have a silent strength. One that is not found in most people today, even heroes," Shouta continued despite my protests, putting a finger to my lips when I opened my mouth to interrupt him again, "You care deeply for others, at the expense of yourself. You're considerate, patient, and beautiful as well. And the most amazing part of it all is that you have no clue that you are all of these things." The tears fell from my eyes and my face flushed red. _He called me beautiful._

"Shouta, you don't have to say these things just because I'm Hizashi's cousin and because you feel bad for me," I tried to convince him, not wanting to let myself believe that maybe just maybe, the raven-haired hero in front of me was telling the truth.

"Do I seem like the kind of man that pays lip service?" Shouta asked irritatedly, his eyebrow quirked as he refused to let me run off. I shook my head, but I was so confused.

"But… Why would you say all those nice things about me unless you felt bad for me?" I pondered nervously out loud earning a sigh from Shouta.

"You really don't get it, do you?" he chuckled slightly causing me to blush and feel even more confused.

"What's so funny?" I demanded, my head spinning in confusion at all the emotions going through my head. Shouta grasped my chin once again and leaned down till our noses were almost touching, causing my breath to hitch in my throat.

"If you don't want me to do this, tell me," he whispered, his voice low and sincere as he inched our faces closer together, and I finally realized what he was doing. My stomach did flips as I tried to figure out what I should do. I knew what I wanted, but I didn't know if it was okay. _What if something goes wrong? What if I ruin everything? What if he is doing this just out of sympathy?_

Suddenly, Nightshade's words of advice rang through my head.

"_Shinobu, when you return to Musutafu, I want you to let yourself feel again. Put yourself out there. Care for others. Break hearts. Get your heart broken. Make friends! Lose friends! Fall in love! Make out with a stranger! Do things based on instinct and feelings instead of stopping yourself from experiencing life because of guilt. For fucks sake girl, go get laid and kick asses in bar fights! I'll come bail ya outta jail myself! Just enjoy your life for once, goddammit!"_ Nightshade had given me her version of a motivational speech. It had made me uncomfortable at the time, but now, that memory was exactly what I needed to stay perfectly still and go with what I wanted.

When Shouta's lips met mine, I felt warmth flood my entire body. It wasn't fireworks like I had always read and seen in sappy movies that I'd watched with Nii-san (at his insistence I might add). It was a comforting warmth that spread all the way down to my toes, and I found myself melting into that warmth, shyly wrapping my arms around Shouta's neck and returning his kiss. All too soon, Shouta pulled away to give me a small smirk, which I know was oftentimes the closest he got to a smile.

"Do you get it now?" he teased, causing my face to go red as I removed my hands from around his neck so I could sign while speaking.

"I get that Hizashi-nii-san is not going to be happy about… whatever this is…" I pointed out nervously, signing as I did so. Shouta sighed and removed his arms from around my waist, and I found myself already missing the warmth from his embrace.

"Whatever this is, there's no rush. Let's see where things go from here before we talk to Hizashi," Shouta suggested, "I don't want there to be pressure on you while we figure this out." I nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, Shouta… I just… never imagined myself to be in a situation like this," I admitted nervously signing quicker than I was speaking. Shouta grabbed one of my shaking hands and gave it a gentle and reassuring squeeze.

"There's no rush, Shinobu. For now, let's just start with something easy," he suggested. I looked up at him in curiosity.

"Like what?"

"Coffee after work?" Shouta asked with a huge grin that reminded me of the Cheshire Cat and caused me to let out a giggle.

"I dunno… Every time someone asks me to coffee, my boss schedules a patrol," I teased back, a slightly accusatory tone in my voice. Shouta just shrugged.

"He sounds like a real ass. I think I can handle him," he responded back before looking at me and asking again, "Coffee tomorrow after work?" I giggled and gave him a small smile.

"It's a date."

Song: I Can't Carry This Anymore by Anson Seabra


	12. Ch 11: First Dates

-Shinobu's POV-

It was the day of mine and Shouta's first date to get coffee after work. I was super nervous, but was doing my best to play it off and act normal so that no one suspected everything. Also, I really didn't want Shouta to know just how nervous I was, so I decided to avoid dressing up directly, deciding instead to just wear my hero costume to work (minus my scythe) and bring a pair of high waisted light gray skinny jeans and a long sleeved black crop top that had a vneck that plunged just enough to show a bit of skin but didn't show cleavage much. Since the pants were high waisted, my stomach wouldn't show with the crop top. I planned to just wear my typical black combat boots with the outfit.

Looking at the sparse makeup I did actually own at Nightshade's insistence, I decided to bypass most of it, sticking to my typical jet black eyeliner and black mascara. The only thing different I did was add a very sheer peach lip tint so I didn't look quite like a walking corpse. My hair I left in its typical long and down style, not willing to look at myself in the mirror in fear that I would chicken out of this whole thing.

Ever since Shouta and I shared our first kiss in the training facility a couple of days ago, I found myself very nervous, almost giddy when thinking of the tired looking hero. He had texted after I had got home that night to tell me that he was cancelling my patrols for the weekend, so that I could catch up on my sleep. Despite my insistence that I was fine and that it was unnecessary, Shouta had refused to budge, going as far as to tell Zashi-nii to make sure I was resting this weekend. I was a bit indignant about that last part, not enjoying being treated like a child, but not really wanting to deal with confrontation, I'd let it go this time.

As soon as I made it to the school, I headed straight to the teacher's lounge feeling more relaxed and rested than I had since my first day at UA over a month ago. It was already 7:30am, so the teacher's lounge was already bustling with activity like teachers making last minute copies or having coffee while doing some grading or reviewing their lesson plans. When I came in, most teachers were too busy focusing on their own tasks to notice me. At least, they were until Midnight took one look at me and squealed.

"Oh my goshhhh! Shinobu-chan, is that your hero costume?!" she squealed in excitement, to which I just nodded with my typical blank expression before getting a bit worried. _Is there something wrong with my hero costume? Are TAs not allowed to wear ours to work? Oh no!_ A firm hand was placed on my shoulder, knocking me out of my panic as a bored tone broke through my internal screaming.

"Midnight, knock it off. Shinobu's in her hero costume, as is everyone else in this room. Chill out," Shouta's bored voice scolded before taking his hand off of my shoulder as I nodded in greeting and thanks to him, trying to act like everything was normal and fighting a massive blush from spreading across my face when he muttered a tired "morning" to me. To most it would seem rude, but after a month of being practically joined at the hip since we both worked the same two full time jobs together, I'd long since realized, Shouta just really wasn't a morning person, since he didn't get nearly enough sleep.

"But I'm just so surprised! Her costume is so much more revealing than I imagined!" Midnight exclaimed before getting a sadistic glint in her eye that made me shiver uncomfortably, "It brings out my sadistic side!"

She went to reach for me, and in an intense need to not be involved in whatever the hell the R-rated heroine was doing, I caught her wrist, ducking under her arm before releasing her arm as I cancelled her sight and slipped past her in seconds before returning sight to her. If one wasn't paying super close attention, they would have just assumed they blinked and that I had moved ridiculously fast. I mean, thanks to my required combat training I was enduring, I was much quicker than before, but not quite that fast.

"Wow, Nobu-chan! You really are full of surprises today! You're so quick!" Midnight exclaimed reaching for me again to which I once again caught her wrist without looking before turning back to her and speaking, causing the room to go dead silent.

"Please, Midnight-san, do not touch me. I don't like it," I stated simply, my chartreuse eyes narrowing slightly while my voice remained quiet and calm, shocking the rest of the faculty into silence. They had only seen me nervously speak while stuttering, and many had assumed I had a sort of stutter that I couldn't help, which was I barely spoke. In reality, I just don't feel the need to speak all the time. Midnight's eyes narrowed for a second as I released her hand, before she broke into a huge sadistic grin.

"Alright, Nobu-chan. Just know that when you act like this, it seriously gets me going," she cooed in a way that I guess was supposed to be seductively. _Gross_.

"Come on, Shinobu. We're helping with observing and critiquing the second year hero courses today," Shouta suddenly spoke up walking back to the exit of the teacher's lounge with two steaming cups of coffee. Nodding and waving bye to the rest of the faculty, I quickly followed after Shouta, happy to escape the uncomfortable stares in the teacher's lounge.

-Time Skip brought to you by my daughter's adorable kitty sweater-

Turns out, Shouta lied about helping the second years so he could help me escape. Instead, we had spent the whole day reviewing the subjects I would be expected to help with in the future. It was basically a giant cram situation which was honestly fine by me since I've always been much more comfortable with books than people.  
Soon enough, it was the end of the day, and I was running to the restroom to change into my outfit for our date. Fortunately, Hizashi had been sent to a conference for Monday and Tuesday in Kyushu about the English curriculum for heroes. Weirdly specific for a conference, but in a world where people have dog heads and can fly and set things on fire at will, I guess it's not all that weird. Anyways, after changing into my outfit and packing my hero costume into a small silver backpack I had brought along to keep my other clothes in, I walked back to Class 1-A to see Shouta already locking the door before turning to look at me.

"Ready to go?" he asked, his bored tone still present as I nodded. He led the way off campus and to a small little cafe that seemed a bit hidden. The entire 10 minute walk was spent in a comfortable silence as we continued into what I thought was just a simple coffee shop. That was quickly proven incorrect as we walked in to be greeted with several meows and greetings from the staff. My eyes went wide and I let out an audible excited gasp at the site before me. It wasn't just a coffee shop. It was a cat cafe!

My gasp caught the attention of Shouta as he looked back at me in confusion before giving a small smirk at my now shining eyes and excited smile on my face. When my eyes met his onyx ones, I gave him a small grin and a near silent giggle when I saw a cat jump onto his shoulder and nuzzle his face.

"Hey, Machiko," he greeted the orange tabby with an affection scratch behind the ears. My face flushed slightly. Sure, Shouta was a handsome guy, but seeing him interacting with a cat and the way his face softened when he spoke to the feline just made him so much more adorable and a lot less intimidating if I was being honest.

After that adorable interaction, Shouta and I found a table in the back corner and sat down. We were quickly surrounded by cats that all seemed to be interested in cuddling or getting a head scratch from Shouta.

"So I'm guessing you've been here before," I teased quietly, finally breaking my silence with much more ease than I thought I would. Shouta let out a very quiet chuckle, and I couldn't help but blush as his eyes met mine.

"You could say I'm a bit of a regular," he admitted, keeping his eyes on me causing me to fidget a bit with my hands on the table until he reached across, gently grabbing my hand and giving it a firm squeeze, "It's okay. You don't have to be nervous. It's just me. No pressure." I huffed slightly at that. _Yeah. It's just you. A super attractive hero who also happens to be Zashi-nii's best friend and be super kind and sweet to animals while I'm just-_

"Shinobu, stop doubting yourself," Shouta stated bluntly, causing my eyes to widen in shock as he answered my next question, "Your eyes seem to fade a bit and you purse your lips when you start to think negatively about yourself or panic. Given the situation and your track record, it was logical for me to assume the first one was the case this time."

My eyes narrowed, and my mouth opened to argue right as a gentle nose prodded gently into my waist, sniffing me. Looking to my left in surprise and letting my hand leave Shouta's, I came face to face with a tan, black and white coated snowshoe cat with ice blue eyes. The poor thing seemed both nervous and curious, so I stayed completed still. After a couple of seconds, the cat pushed its nose into my side, trying to cuddle into my lap, which I gladly allowed and began lightly stroking the beautiful cat.

"Wow," Shouta breathed, and when I looked up at him, he seemed to be in shock, "Kouri never lets anyone hold her." I looked down at the cat in my lap with a slight smile.

"Really?" I asked curiously just as a waitress came over to us before her jaw also dropped when she noticed the snowshoe in my lap.

"Kouri let you hold her?" she exclaimed in shock to which I just nodded, my brows furrowed in confusion, causing the waitress to explain, "Oh, Kouri is deaf, so she is very shy and distrusting of others. So it's just a shock that she allowed you to hold her." I smiled a bit to myself as I realized it was probably due to a cat's ability to sense when someone could understand them. Kouri just gave a loud purr and cuddled into my hand.

"Ah… Well I'm glad she finally warmed up to someone! My name is Kiko, and I'll be your waitress for today. Aizawa-kun, what can I get for you?" the waitress asked, turning to Shouta and completely ignoring me, her short brown curls bouncing as she turned. Something about this really bothered me.

"I'll get my usual," Shouta answered, turning his eyes towards me. After a couple of seconds where Kiko still didn't turn to look at me, Shouta cleared his throat and spoke again, "What are you wanting, Shinobu?" At his acknowledgment of me, Kiko turned back toward me almost reluctantly.

"Green tea with lemon and sugar please," I stated, my voice quiet. Kiko gave me barely a nod before turning back to Shouta before giving me a super flirty smile causing me to frown.

"Well if you need anythiiinnngggg, please don't hesitate to let me know," she cooed as she placed a hand on her shoulder as she walked away causing me to look at my lap, suddenly feeling like I was intruding. After a couple of seconds, Shouta got up, and I was afraid to look up and to see him going where I was afraid he was going to talk to the waitress. To my surprise, the side of the booth bench next to me dipped as Shouta sat beside me, taking my hand in his.

"Shinobu," Shouta called softly, tucking a piece of my silver hair behind my ear, "Don't worry about her. I'm not here with her. I'm here with **you**." Shocked by his sweet words, I turned to see him looking at me with a soft expression on his face as he laced his fingers in mine.

"Sorry, Shouta," I mumbled nervously, "I guess I just didn't like how she flirted with you like that. But I have no right to feel that way about it. It's not like we're together or anything." At that last statement, Shouta squeezed my hand, gaining my attention causing me to meet his now stern gaze.

"We're taking this slow so that there's no pressure, but that doesn't mean that I will be going after anyone else. I care about you and would not do anything like that to hurt you. Quit being so irrational," Shouta pointed out as he gently brushed his lips across my cheek.

The rest of our date passed by in comfortable conversation as Shouta kept his fingers interlocked with mine, gently rubbing his thumb in circles across the back of my hand anytime I seemed to get stressed or struggled with what to do or what to say. When Kiko returned with our orders, her shocked face gave me a sort of sweet satisfaction, and in a rare act of confidence, I leaned my head on Shouta's shoulder, causing Kiko to bow awkwardly and excuse herself as soon as possible after serving our drinks. After that, I sat back up with a small satisfied grin that Shouta either didn't notice or chose not to comment on.

After a couple of hours, it was time to go. We said goodbye to all the cats before Shouta walked me back to mine and Nii-san's apartment. When we reached the front door, he leaned down and gave me a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips, going slow to give me a chance to turn him away or tell him I was uncomfortable. That wasn't going to happen. Ever since our first kiss, I had wanted to feel that warmth I had gotten then once again. I was not disappointed. As soon as our lips met, that warmth spread through me once again, and it remained even after he had pulled away, pressed another kiss to my forehead, and took his leave.

As soon as I got into the apartment, I ran to my room, put my face in my pillow, and let out a quiet schoolgirlish scream. I had just gone on my first date. To a freaking CAT CAFE with a man who did not seem to mind just reading my cues instead of requiring me to speak all the time. And had my second kiss all in one day. And I was on cloud freaking 9.

Song: Keep Your Head Up Princess by Anson Seabra


	13. Ch 12: The First Assignment

-Shinobu's POV-

It had been nearly two weeks since mine and Shouta's first date at the cat cafe, and thankfully, things hadn't changed too much. He was a bit more touchy when we were alone on patrol, walking closer to me and occasionally letting his hand brush up against mine, but after dealing with that girl in the cat cafe, I was worried if I could actually even handle any kind of romantic relationship. I mean I had gotten so jealous over a waitress that was flirting with Shouta that he showed no interest in. _What am I, a high school girl? No, I'm an adult dammit. A pro hero and a teacher's assistant for the top hero school in Japan!_

Not that I had done much as a TA so far besides reviewing previous course material with Shouta and going over the different softwares and such that teachers use for putting in attendance and grades and such. But hopefully, today that would all change. Nezu had sent for me, saying he had an assignment for me to do regarding a specific second year student: Amajiki Tamaki.

Looking at the file in my hands, I saw that this particular student had great promise, but lacked confidence and buckled under any kind of attention, causing him to perform poorly on tests and exercises that involved others looking at him. His quirk was called Manifest and allowed him to procure the properties of any food he has eaten, and apparently his mastery of his quirk was quite good. Nezu had asked me to mentor the young student, knowing that I had struggled similarly while at UA, and because of my ability to overcome my anxiety in a fight. While skeptical about him picking me for the job, it involved a child, which always made my anxiety and self-doubt take a back seat.

Soon enough, I was in front of the door that led to Nezu's office and knocked softly on it before entering when hearing the principal's high pitched voice telling me to enter. As I opened the door, I surveyed the room, my eyes resting on a young boy with indigo hair and elf ears who immediately pressed his head to a wall after meeting my eyes. _This must be Tamaki_. There was a blonde boy with a big smile on his face who immediately approached me.

"Ah, Muffle, I'm glad you were able to join us. These are two students from Class 2-A, Togata Mirio and your new mentee, Amajiki Tamaki," Nezu introduced before taking a sip of his tea. The blonde boy now right in front of me with a grin as he bowed quickly in greeting.

"Hello, Muffle-sensei! I'm Togata Mirio! I'm Tama's best friend, so I came to provide him moral support and I wanted to meet his new mentor!" Mirio introduced as I gave him a soft bow in greeting.

"Hello, Mirio-kun. My name is Yamada Shinobu. You may call me Shinobu or Muffle… But I'm not really a teacher, so you don't have to call me sensei," I greeted, my voice quiet as usual causing Tamaki to turn slightly to see me in surprise. He probably expected Nezu to assign him a super loud and bubbly mentor.

"Yamada? Wait! Are you related to Present Mic-sensei?!" the blonde asked excitedly before leaning closer to look at me, "Oh wow! You are huh!? You even have the same cool eye color as him!" I backed up slightly at his unwelcomed closeness causing him to notice and back up with an apologetic laugh. I nodded as my way of saying it was fine before making my way silently over to my new mentee.

"Excuse me. You must be Tamaki-kun, right?" I greeted quietly, trying not to intimidate the poor shaking student. The indigo haired boy turned nervously to meet my gaze which he had to look down slightly to do and nodded.

"Amajiki Tamaki. N-nice to meet you, M-Muffle-sensei," he greeted nervously with a low bow to avoid meeting my eyes. I placed a hand gently on his shoulder and pushed upward to indicate him to straighten up. He did so, and I looked to Nezu and signed asking if he was okay with me taking Tamaki with me, to which he nodded and smiled.

"Tamaki-kun, go with Muffle. You will spend this afternoon with her for your training instead of in your hero class today," Nezu informed him, causing the shy boy to get nervous and he bowed deeply before I did the same as before to get him to straighten up once again.

"It was nice to meet you, Muffle-sensei! Please take good care of my best friend! He has potential to become an amazing hero! Please help him find the confidence to believe that," Mirio requested, his smile replaced with a more serious face as he gave me another bow before giving Tamaki an encouraging smile, "You can do this, Tama! Don't give up! Go beyond! PLUS ULTRAAA!"

At that yell, I felt Tamaki loosen up a bit from the encouragement from Mirio causing me to smile a bit. Mirio was like Zashi-nii for me. The cheerleader we didn't want to admit we needed. Grabbing Tamaki's arm to get his attention, I motioned for him to follow me, earning a nod from him as he followed me out of Nezu's office, his shoulders hunched over.

We walked in silence until we made it to a clearing in the trees in the training area on campus. The same area that Shouta and I had first sparred in. Once we reached there, I turned to Tamaki who was now visibly shaking but trying to take deep breaths.

"Tamaki-kun," I called out quietly causing him to look up at me nervously before averting from eye contact with me, "Don't worry about looking me in the eye right away. It can be intimidating when someone has all their focus on you. It's easier when you just blend in with others, right?" Shocked by my understanding, Tamaki looked at me and nodded quickly.

"I-I want to be a hero, b-but I get so an-anxious and I can't, I can't think straight! H-how am I supposed to f-fight villains if I can't even h-handle people looking at me?!" he asked, his voice revealing anguish at wanting to make a dream come true that he was afraid was impossible. I smiled at this. _It's like looking in a mirror in some ways_.

"Who says you can't be a hero if you have social anxiety?" I questioned as I walked up to him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder and giving him a small smile when his indigo eyes met my green ones, "I have social anxiety too, Tamaki. I also don't tend to talk much. I like to work alone and struggle with having a quirk that's labeled as a villain's quirk. Just because you struggle with things that others don't, doesn't mean that you can't be a hero." He looked at me in shock before giving me a nervous smile.

"W-what is your quirk, Muffle-sensei?" he questioned apprehensively, probably afraid of asking after I mentioned how others had treated me about it. I giggled a bit at his nervousness and ruffled his hair a bit causing him to blush.

"If you insist on calling me sensei, at least call me Shinobu when we aren't in the field. It's weird to be called that outside of patrol or missions," I instructed, trying to use a firmer voice like what Shouta did when he was instructing me before continuing, "I have two quirks, but only one that I have a full grasp on and use regularly. It's called Sensory Cancellation. It allows me to cancel any number of the five senses of any person I can see. The drawback is if I use it too much, I get a massive migraine. My second quirk is the same as my cousin. It's Voice. Your friend back there asked if I'm related to PresentMic. He's actually my older cousin. Our dads are brothers so we both inherited that from their ancestors." I explained starting to sign while I was speaking, not used to speaking so much but finding it a bit easier since it was to encourage the boy in front of me.

"Wow… That's s-such an amazing quirk! Mine isn't like that…" Tamaki said, looking to the side shyly. I huffed in annoyance at this causing his gaze to meet my now stern one.

"Tamaki, your quirk is beyond versatile, and you excel with it. I read your file. You are only falling behind because of your anxiety," I scolded softly before finally telling him what I had been trying to get to this whole time, "You don't have to get over your anxiety. You can still have it and excel in your classes. You just need to figure out what you are fighting for. Keep that in mind and train till all of your actions are practically muscle memory and instinct for the instances where your anxiety does come into place." Tamaki looked at me with his mouth open slightly in shock as I heard the dismissal bell ring for the end of the school day.

"Tamaki, we will continue this on Monday. I want you to be able to tell me your reason for fighting and becoming a hero Monday afternoon," I requested with a small smile, "You are dismissed. Have a great weekend." The shy boy started to walk off before stopping and turning to me slightly.

"Um… Sh-Shinobu-sensei, why did you become a hero?" he asked, and I froze, my lips pursing and my eyes glazing over slightly before I quickly waved him off with a smile that didn't meet my eyes.

"That's a story for another day. Get going. I'm sure your friends are waiting for you," I deflected with my fake smile on my face as he nodded and ran off. As soon as he was out of sight, I sat on the ground with my knees pulled to my chest and my back against a tree with a large sigh. It had been a long time since I had asked myself that same questions.

_Why do I fight? Why did I become a hero?_

Song: Towards the Sun by Rihanna


	14. Ch 13: Why I Became A Hero

-Shinobu's POV-

"Welcome back, Tamaki. Have you figured out the answer to my question?" I questioned quietly as Tamaki and I made it to the same clearing we had been using for training. The timid boy nodded shakily before replying.

"Yes ma'am… B-but will you please tell me why you became a h-hero first?" he requested looking like he was about two seconds from pressing his forehead into a nearby tree, so I decided to tell him in hopes that he would relax a bit.

"Okay. But it's not a very nice story," I admitted as he nodded in acknowledgement, his shakiness reducing as I sat down on the plush grass in the clearing and potted the spot next to me, indicating for him to sit which he did.

_-Flashback Shinobu's Age: 6, Hizashi's Age: 8 (Shinobu's POV)-_

_It was the first weekend since school had started that I had gotten to go to the park with Hizashi-nii-san, and I was ecstatic! All morning, I had been running around the apartment, still quieter than most kids but I was clearly buzzing with happiness throughout breakfast and while watching tv waiting for nii-san to arrive. _

_Once he arrived, we quickly made our way to the nearby park where we are quickly approached by some of Hizashi-nii-san's friends from school. Hizashi-nii excitedly waves at them and introduces me as his adorable little cousin, Nobu-chan._

_Wanting to make a good impression on his friends, I tried to give a kind smile and be outgoing enough to say hi. However, my nerves were pretty shot and I found myself accidentally activating my voice quirk as I shouted, "HI!" _

_I quickly found myself beginning to panic. The world becomes silent, and I watch in horror as Nii-san's friends as well as some of their younger siblings who had tagged along began putting their hands over their eyes in panic and blinking frantically, a sure sign that I had accidentally cancelled all of their sights._

"_Oh no! What do I do? I messed up big time now!" I thought in a panic until a warm hand squeezes mine before I am pulled into a comforting hug which helps me calm down enough to deactivate my quirk._

"_Wow, Nobu-chan! Your quirk is really powerful, huh?" Zashi-nii encouraged, trying to make light of the situation by releasing me from his hug and shooting finger guns at me with a big smile. _

"_Hey! What the hell is wrong with her?" One of the kids yelled as I looked around and realized they had surrounded us, and every one of the other kids looked angry and/or scared. Suddenly, we were bombarded by taunts and accusations to the point that it was hard to discern who was yelling what in my current state._

"_That girl is a villain!"_

"_Yeah! Only a villain would have a quirk that can blind people!"_

"_They should just lock her up now and save everyone around her from dealing with her!"_

"_Hizashi-kun must be her accomplice so she can lure victims in!"_

"_Yeah! She's obviously some kind of demon! I mean did you see her eyes turn black and those black veins on her face? Freaking creepy!"_

_Biting back tears, I finally yelled out, "Zashi-nii has nothing to do with this!" and turned and ran away as fast as I could, not turning back till I was a couple of blocks away, tears now freely streaming down my face._

"_Nobu-chan! Give me a heads up next time you want to have a race!" Zashi-nii teased in between pants as he caught his breath from running after me before he noticed the tears flowing from my eyes. His expression suddenly became serious, and he pulled me into a tight hug._

"_I-I'm so sorry, Nii-san… Your friends called you a villain's accomplice because of me," I apologized, my childish voice full of sadness. Zashi-nii just released me from the hug and ruffled my hair._

"_Then, they weren't very good friends now were they?" Zashi-nii countered with a sincere smile causing me to give a half-hearted smile, "Now, let's get you home. Kagero-oba-san is making your favorite for dinner, yakisoba! I can't wait! Her yakisoba is the best!" I couldn't help but give him a small smile since he was clearly trying to encourage me so much; however, I knew that I could not forgive myself so easily._

_-Time skip, Still flashback Shinobu's Age: 9, Hizashi's Age: 11-_

_We were back in the same park where everything had gone wrong that day. After that event, word had spread at Zashi-nii's school about him being a supposed accomplice to his villain cousin. Everyone avoided him, and he had become a social pariah and was unable to find any friends. I had apologized too many times to count to Zashi-nii, but he always says there's no need for me to apologize. Today, I had apologized on the way to the park, and Zashi-nii had been oddly silent. Not knowing what to do, I followed him to the swings and sat on the one that he pointed to next to him. We began swinging leisurely for a couple of minutes before he finally broke the silence._

"_Nobu-chan, if what happened that day really hurt you that badly, we should both become heroes one day! But you'll have to be MY sidekick, not the other way around!" Hizashi-nii announced with signature finger guns while flashing me a smile. At this suggestion, I found the guilt in my heart lighten as I nodded in agreement without hesitation. I would become a hero, and prove that my quirk was able to be used for good. Then, no one would be able to ever accuse Zashi-nii-san of being a villain's accomplice ever again. _

_-Flashback Ends-_

"Did things get better after you and PresentMic-sensei got into U.A?" Tamaki questioned, not stuttering for once, eyes wide in interest of my story. The answer to his question is not really, but that was not a question to deal with today.

"That's a story for another day. Now, I told you my reason. It's your turn," I dodged the question and shifted the focus to the indigo haired boy beside me as I stood up. He did the same.

"I-I want to be able to be a light that helps others feel safe and protected and protect those I care about," Tamaki answered, his voice getting steadier as he got to the end of his answer, earning a proud smile from me.

"If you keep that motivation in mind and work hard, you will be an amazing hero, Tamaki. I predict one of the best even," I responded truthfully.

"Your expectations only drag me deeper into despair," Tamaki muttered, finally pushing his face into a tree causing me to let out a small giggle as I walked over to the middle of the clearing and stood in a comfortable fighting stance.

"Alright. Now, it's time to stop talking and start training. Go ahead and come for me, but for now, there will be no use of quirks," I announced as Tamaki quickly stepped away from the tree but remained slightly hunched over before doing as I said and coming at me.

To my surprise, Tamaki came at me with a left hook, but as he got close to me, he hesitated, clearly conflicted about hitting a girl, even if I was his teacher. In order to teach him a lesson, I easily caught his wrist and twisted it around behind his back and pin him to the ground, restricting him just enough to hurt a little, but not enough to do any damage.

"Lesson 1: Do not hesitate," I instructed, my voice soft but firm as I held him to the ground, "If you hesitate because of an enemy's appearance, they will likely gain the upperhand. Now, let's try again." With that instruction, I released him from the hold and stood back up into a fighting stance and waited for him to do the same.

As soon as Tamaki was back in a fighting stance, I decided I would come for him. I aimed a punch for his stomach which he did manage to block, but he wasn't paying close enough attention to notice that I was now going for a kick at his side which connected and sent him into one of the trees on the edge of the clearing. _Well, that's the end of this round. Now I need to take the poor kid to Recovery Girl._ At least that's what I thought.

To my surprise, the timid indigo-haired boy was still conscious and immediately forced himself to his feet, a determined look in his dark eyes.

"Again," he said, his voice louder than I had heard it up to this point. I smirked, very impressed with his drive. _Now, this is gonna be interesting._

-Time Skip to after training-

Despite how quickly I had managed to subdue Tamaki in our first two rounds, he was improving quickly. He managed to give me a split lip and a slight black eye, much to my surprise. And by the end of training, we were both panting and a bit beat up.

"You did great today, Tamaki. You have a lot of talent, and your drive is admirable. We will continue your training tomorrow. You're dismissed," I dismissed him with a small smile as he nodded and walked off quickly as I checked the time. _Shit! Is it really already that late?_ I grabbed my kusarigama from the tree it was leaning against and rushed towards the roof of the building that I was supposed to meet Shouta at for patrol, silently hoping that I would make it in time.

Song: idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish


	15. Ch 14: Misunderstood

-Shouta's POV-

The entire time that Shinobu was telling that story to her mentee, I had stopped myself from jumping down there and interrupting her story, and found myself having to walk away to avoid confronting her in front of her student as soon as the story was done. Her motivations for being a hero went against my morals and what I believed a hero should be. Don't get me wrong. I still had a lot of respect for Shinobu, but that kind of thinking can lead to people being hurt or even killed.

Though I know it's highly irrational, I felt a bit hurt and betrayed by her shallow motivation. When you let someone close to you, it's inevitable that they will disappoint you or hurt you even if it's unintentional, which is a major reason as to why I don't typically do relationships or let people close to me. So right now, I felt hurt and irritated that I had let myself become so attached to the silver-haired heroine in such a short amount of time.

By the time I snapped out of my mental scolding of myself, I realized the time. It was getting close to patrol time, and the last thing I needed was to be late because of her taking up all of my concentration.

-Time skip to the patrol, on a rooftop (Still Shouta's POV)-

We were now staking out a supposed drug deal that was supposed to be happening in the Kamino Ward. It had been nearly 2 hours since we had settled into this position on the rooftop, and I had yet to say a word to Shinobu. To most people, that would seem perfectly normal and part of my personality, but Shinobu was different. I would normally at least ask her how she was doing or insist that she treat the black eye or split lip she had acquired since the last time I saw her. While I did notice these things, I found myself too irritated from earlier to comment.

_If her focus was in the right place, she might have been able to focus enough to avoid those._ Yes, those thoughts are unfair to her and highly irrational, but at the moment, I didn't care. If these feelings were going to make me act irrational and get close to her, I'd let them be irrational and push her away for now. After all, I didn't know if I could handle all of these emotions that came from romantic feelings for another person.

"What's wrong, Eraser?" Shinobu's soft, lyrical voice asked, using an abbreviated form of my hero name since we were both in our hero costumes. Not wanting to let myself break at her soft tone and no doubt worried chartreuse eyes, I answered while continuing to watch the men below us.

"Why did you become a hero?" I asked, my voice much more accusatory than I meant to let out, and I saw her features darken to a less concerned and more stoic expression.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop on my mentoring sessions," she responded, her voice quiet but hardened in a way that attempted to hide emotions, but some seeped through. _She's angry? Betrayed? Well that's two of us._

"You shouldn't be telling motivations like that to an impressionable student."

"And why is that?"

"Your goal is the kind that's irrational and gets people killed."

At my last reply, Shinobu was silent, which wasn't uncommon for her, but there was something different about this silence. There was a tension in it that was typically absent from her quiet demeanor.

"...what do you know about my motivations?..." she finally asked, her voice thick but still barely above a whisper after a couple of minutes, her gaze now also trained on the happenings below us. Another car had pulled up. It looked like if anything was going to happen with this supposed drug deal, it was going to happen soon.

"I know you'll never accomplish it. You have a quirk that most of the public would see as villainous. You can't control what people think. To believe otherwise is the peak of irrationality," I responded, my tired blunt voice that I almost never use with her coming back full force, "Heroes should be motivated and dedicated to keeping people safe, not selfish whims."

I heard a gasp and managed to see just a flash of the pain my words caused Shinobu on her face before it was immediately replaced with a blank expression as she stared into the alleyway below us. Now, I felt bad for how I worded things. Yes, my ideals and morals stayed the same, and I did believe what I said to be true. But at the same time, I was hating myself for talking to her like that and upsetting her. But I refused to back down. I needed her to see the problem with her motivation before it got her or someone else injured or worse.

Deciding to chance it, my gaze drifted to the silver-haired heroine to my left only to see her large, usually vibrant green eyes, appearing dull as her gaze stayed focused on the scene below us. Her face was blank, but there were tears streaming steadily down her freckled porcelain cheeks. _I can't take seeing her like this dammit._

"Shinobu," I called out gently as I reached my hand out to wipe a tear that was falling down her cheek. To my surprise, she jumped back and shot a glare at me before turning back to the alleyway, her eyes narrowing.

"There. The drug deal happened. There's 5 down there. I'll out the senses of the left 3 before knocking them out. You can handle the other two," she ordered before jumping down and putting her plan into action, giving me no time to think or object to her plan.

Shinobu was silent in her descent, and I scrambled after her, my brain and heart at war after seeing how she had jumped away from my touch. _Had I really hurt her that bad? I'm trying to protect her! I just don't want her holding onto a thought process that could get her hurt!_ Ironically, while thinking this, I was not as careful with my descent and ended up landing on a beam on the way down a bit too loudly, alerting the drug dealers below.

Despite my blunder, Shinobu managed to knock out 2 of the perpetrators by the time I landed and cancelled out the senses of the two that were now attacking me as well, giving me the upper hand and allowing me to knock them unconscious without too much trouble. I turned to thank her for the assist. What happened next seemed to move in slow motion for me.

"SHOUTA!" Shinobu yelled, not activating her voice quirk, but her voice was panicked, confusing me as she tackled me pushing me a couple of feet. As I looked up to see what the heck her problem was, my eyes widened in shock at the villain who was holding the hilt of a knife that was now lodged to the hilt into Shinobu's left thigh, and she let out a blood curdling scream of pain.

Fury filled me as I jumped to my feet and grabbed the villain with my capture weapon as he pulled the knife out of Shinobu's leg. Not wanting to try and knock him out for fear that I would go overboard and kill the bastard, I settled for tying him up with the other drug dealers as I called the police who were already on their way thanks to this being in collaboration with them. After ending the call, I turned to the villain that was still conscious, an evil smirk on his face as he watched Shinobu writhe on the ground in pain.

"What the hell did you do to her?" I demanded angrily, keeping my distance from the bastard, torn between wanting to comfort Shinobu and needing to keep an eye to make sure this piece of shit didn't escape.

"It's my quirk. I am able to create a poison from my cells that inflicts excruciating pain in waves for at least 24 hours," the villain explained with a sadistic smirk, "It's like being tortured. Those without a strong mind or inhumanly high pain tolerance end up in a mental hospital for the rest of their lives with ghost pains. If you let me go, I can give her the antidote. I can mutate my cells to cure the poison as well."

Looking back at Shinobu briefly to see her whimpering made me consider his offer as I turned to look at him. There's no way he was trustworthy, but I couldn't let Shinobu be tortured like this. _What if she can't handle it and has to get institutionalized? She's such a strong and kind person… And Hizashi would be crushed… I can't let her suffer like this_. My thoughts were cut short by a familiar kusarigama whirring past my head and embedding itself into the brick wall right beside the villain's head.

Seeing the now slightly nervous look on the face of the villain, I turned to see Shinobu limping towards us, her eyes seeming to glow with determination even as she would wince and grit her teeth.

"Listen well, you sick son of a bitch. I may end up losing my mind, but we will not negotiate with you. I am a small price to pay in order to prevent others from ever having to feel this pain," Shinobu growled through gritted teeth as she got right in front of the villain before backing up and turning to me. My eyes widened as I noticed her lose consciousness. I shot forward and caught her in my arms, the silence in the alleyway after her words only being cut off by the sirens of the incoming police cars.

Song: If I Killed Someone For You by Alec Benjamin


	16. Ch 15: Deafening Silence

-Shouta's POV-

Throughout the entirety of speaking with the police, I held Shinobu's passed out form in my arms. I explained to them the situation with the villain's quirk and requested that they try and get him to give them an antidote and to contact me if they managed to.

"Alright, Eraserhead. We'll do our best, but this particular villain has been on the Most Wanted list in this city for quite some time. We really can't negotiate with him or offer him any leniency in order to bribe him for it," the officer informed with a sad glance in Shinobu's direction. My grip on her tightened before I relaxed and nodded to the officer in understanding.

"She wouldn't want you to negotiate with him. Just… keep me updated if you learn anything new," I replied, keeping my voice even and professional despite how stressed I was feeling.

An ambulance showed up as we finished talking and took Shinobu over there. After speaking with the EMT and doctor that was present in the ambulance, I gave her to them and walked over to the villains and tried to use my Erasure on them, especially on the one that injured Shinobu.

"That won't work on me, Eraserhead. My quirk only activated when I created the poison. You can try using it on your cute little sidekick too, but it won't work," the villain taunted to which I just ignored him and went back to Shinobu as the villains were loaded into the cop cars. I activated my quirk at Shinobu as well, and the pained expression on her face remained unchanged.

"We managed to patch her wound up with some stitches, but the poison is already circulating her blood stream and seems to be resistance to any treatment we know of. We've seen it a couple of times with victims of this villain. It honestly is all up to her strength of mind as to if she survives this normally or ends up in the mental hospital. All you can do now is take her to her home and make sure she at least tries to keep something on her stomach so she has strength to fight against the poison," the doctor informed me with a somber expression as he looked at Shinobu in pity.

I nodded and thanked him before taking the silver-haired heroine back into my arms and taking her to my apartment. It was already 4am, and I really didn't want to take her back to Hizashi and have him freak out about her current condition. Plus, his yelling would not help her be comfortable. As I carried her home, I also contacted Nezu and let him know the current situation, and fortunately, he was very understanding.

"Thank you for letting me know, Aizawa-kun. You and Muffle should take the day off today since you both don't have any classes today. I will inform Amajiki Tamaki that his training with Muffle is cancelled for today. Take some rest and send my regards to Muffle," Nezu had instructed which earned a thank you from me as he hung up and I reached my apartment.

Once inside, I gently placed Shinobu on my couch and placed her head in my lap. _Shit. I can't believe I was so harsh on her. Why did she push me out of the way? Someone who had selfish motivations wouldn't have done that. Maybe I was too harsh on her earlier. After all, are our motivations really different? I mean I worked harder at becoming a hero after was what happened to Oboro… Dang it, Shouta, do not go there right now. You have to make this right._ With that thought, I began gently running my fingers through her long silver hair.

A concerned meow snapped me out of the trance I was in, and I looked up to see Shiro looking at Shinobu with concern before jumping onto the couch and curling into her side. I sighed to myself as I looked at the beautiful heroine in my lap. Her porcelain freckled skin had a sort of sickly pallour to it and was covered with a light sheen of sweat as a pain expression twisted her normally delicate features. The sight of her in such a state made my stomach twist in guilt. _Maybe if I hadn't upset her right before we went into that fight, she would have been able to avoid the knife, or if I had been more focused, we could have taken the villains out without them noticing us._

"I'm sorry, Shinobu… The noise I made alerted them and then I didn't pay attention and you got hurt protecting me," I apologized, my voice soft and vulnerable as I admitted my feelings about the situation to her unconscious form. Or at least I thought she was unconscious until a soft hand cupped my cheek causing my eyes to widen slightly as my gaze drifted down to meet now open chartreuse green eyes.

"I-it's not your fault, Shouta," she comforted but the pained smile on her face gave away the next lie as she sat up and dropped her hand from my cheek, "I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, Shinobu," I murmured as I took her face into my hands, using my thumbs to wipe away tears that were now falling from her eyes as another obvious wave of pain wracked her body. She was trembling as she met my eyes. Her attempts at hiding her pain now gone as she let out a whimper.

"Shouta… I'm scared… I-it hurts so bad. I don't want to lose my mind, but the pain is so bad that I want to scream," she admitted, her face scrunching up in pain as a series of whimpers and small cries of pain wracked her already trembling form. Not being able to see her like this anymore and not knowing what else to do, I wrapped my arms gently around her shaking form and pulled her into my lap. I held her tightly as she gripped onto my shirt and continued to whimper, but her shaking decreased ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I misunderstood," I apologized, trying to hide the stress and pain in my voice from seeing her in this state, "I can't make the pain go away, but I can make sure you don't have to suffer alone." She tugged at my heart as she feebly nuzzled into me and spoke softly, pain still evident in her voice.

"It's okay, Shouta. You were right that my motivations for becoming a hero were not as sound as they should have been, but I never said that it was why I'm still a hero. I only told Tamaki why I became a hero, not why I continued to be one after I realized that that motivation wasn't enough," her voice sent stabs through my conscience as I realized how irrational I had been.

Not only had I jumped to conclusions, I had jumped to conclusions without trying to even talk to her or pay attention to her wording when in reality, her story wasn't much different than mine in that regard. A pair of soft lips pressed lightly against my jaw snapped me out of my self-scolding as I looked down to see Shinobu with a soft and sweet smile on her pale lips causing my face to flush and let out an involuntary chuckle. She really was too understanding.

I placed a soft, warm kiss to her forehead earning a small giggle from the silver-haired heroine, and I was thankful to see that at least she had a slight reprieve from the intense pain she was dealing with earlier.

"Shouta?"

"Hm?"

"W-will you stay by my side tonight?" she asked timidly, causing me to give her a small smile and decide to tease her a bit as I looked at the time.

"Well, it's 5AM, but if you're asking me to sleep beside you, then you should know I am fine with that if you're comfortable with it. If not, I can sleep on the floor. I have my sleeping bag," I answered, feeling a bit entertained when her eyes shot open at the mention of the time.

"Shit! We have to be at the school in 3 hours! And I have to find a way to train Tamaki today. Why didn't you tell me?" she panicked and began to try and get out of my lap but I didn't budge as I pulled her closer to me as I pressed a kiss to the side of her head right above her ear.

"Shhh. Relax. I already talked to Nezu and explained the situation. He told us to take the day off and that he would tell Amajiki that training was cancelled for today. You need to focus on fighting this poison off," I soothed as I began stroking her hair as I felt the trembling beginning again, something I was starting to recognize as an indication that another wave of excruciating pain was about to hit the kind woman in my arms.

"O-okay," she whispered, her voice coming out slightly strained, "So you'll stay with me?" I nodded and held her close.

"Of course. But we should move to the bed. It's much more comfortable than this couch," I responded bluntly as I stood up holding her in my arms bridal style in the process, earning a squeak of surprise from her.

I quickly carried her to my room and gently laid her on my bed and went to my dresser and grabbed her some sweats and a tshirt so that she didn't have to sleep in her hero costume and grabbed some sweats and a shirt for me as well before going to the restroom to change. It's not that I minded changing in front of her, but since I was aware of her lack of experience with any kind of relationship, I decided not to tease her today at least.

After brushing my teeth and changing my clothes quickly, I returned to my room to see that Shinobu had already changed as I got into bed under the covers, giving her a fair bit of space, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Shouta?" she called out nervously. _Honestly, when you call my name like that, you could ask me just about anything and the answer would be yes._

"Hm?" was all that came out of my mouth despite the less than pure and very emotional thoughts running through my head after such a stressful night.

"Will you hold me?... If it's not too much to ask…" Shinobu requested, her tense voice shaking in both nervousness and pain from the poison. Her shyness about this was adorable, and I would have smiled if I hadn't noticed the pained expression on her face. She let out an especially loud cry of pain, and I immediately scooted over to her and pulled her to my chest protectively, wishing I could take this pain from her.

Her whimpering cries began to get louder as she gripped onto my shirt till her knuckles turned white. Not knowing what else to do, I began to soothingly rub small circles on her back, and I felt her relax slightly under my touch in spite of the pain.

"Thank you, Shouta," she whispered, her voice breaking from pain before going limp, passing out in my arms from the pain. I pulled her head to my chest and continued stroking her hair, hoping to provide her some sort of comfort even in her unconscious state.

"Irrational woman. I should be thanking you," I murmured before placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

_This woman… She is stronger than even I realized._ The silence that was her strength was becoming deafening after her actions tonight, and I found myself thinking as she snuggled into my chest in her sleep that I'd be happy if her deafening silence was all I could hear from now on…

Song: Silent Scream by Anna Blue

**A/N:**

**So I know Aizawa is acting a bit out of character, but he doesn't exactly come across as the most romantic individual in the anime or manga, so I had to take some creative license with him. That being said, this story is based very loosely off the anime at this point in the story. Also, thank you for all the support on this story. I'm going to try and update regularly but tomorrow is my daughter's first birthday and we have to move apartments by the end of the month. So it's a lot. So please be patient with me. Again, thank you all and stay safe. 3 Taeha :) **


	17. Ch 16: You're Not Alone

-Shinobu's POV-

Time was not something I was aware of at this point. The only reality I knew was the waves of pain that wracked my body. The pain had started off bad but it was more like sharp stabs in random places throughout my body. At that time, it had given me hope that I'd be okay. It was bad but not unbearable; however, as if the poison could tell I was building up resistance, the pain increased exponentially.

What had started off as a stabbing pain had turned into the feeling of being burned alive. Every inch of my body was burning relentlessly. I felt my skin melting off, but when I looked, it was still just the same as it always was. I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out. It hurt too much to make any noise above what I'm sure was a series of pathetic whimpers. The only thing keeping me somewhat grounded was the feeling of Shouta's arms wrapped protectively around me, his low tired voice muttering encouraging words and reminders that I wasn't alone, and the occasional feeling of his warm lips laying gently on the crown of my head.

The simple solution would seem to be to just cancel my own sense of feeling right? I freaking wish that's how my quirk worked; however, if I cancelled my sense of feeling, especially when I was feeling pain, my brain would simply store the memory of the pain and intensify it for when my sense of feeling returned. It was some sort of defense mechanism from my quirk that kept me from deadening myself completely. Also, my body recognized pain receptors as necessary for survival, so my quirk wasn't allowed to completely bypass that. It sucked, but if I cancelled this pain now, which already had me near my breaking point, I would feel it so much more later and I would _definitely_ break.

The feeling of Shouta's calloused hand pushing my bangs back and his lips pressing softly to my forehead woke me up from my semi conscious state. My eyelids fluttered open to see the tired man in front of me looking at me with concern as he helped me sit up, handling me as though I were made of glass, though to be fair, at this point, that may not be too far from the truth.

"Shinobu," he called to get my attention causing me to look at him with a small, weak smile earning a frown from him, "Don't pretend to be okay right now. I brought you some miso soup and some rice. You need to try and eat something. The doctor last night said it would be important to try and keep up your strength to fight off this poison." His deep, stern voice seemed to cut through all the pain I was feeling and made my mind feel clearer than it had since the pain had gotten worse. Don't get me wrong. The pain was definitely still there, but hearing his voice helped for some reason.

I grabbed the miso soup he had put on the night side and held it as steadily as I could until I noticed him going to the door. Not wanting to spill the soup but also not wanting him to leave, I called out to him, my voice quiet and hoarse from I'm guessing the crying from all the pain I had been in.

"Sh-shouta… Please stay…" I begged softly, earning a softened expression from him as he walked back to my side, making me feel relaxed a bit as I thought he was going to stay with me. To my disappointment, he merely cupped my cheek, gently rubbing his thumb across my cheek before going back to the door and turning back to see my distressed and teary expression.

"It's okay. I'll be right back. I just need to go feed Shiro and then I'll be back. Take this time to try and eat some of that food okay? You need your strength. I'll be right back, I promise," Shouta assured. I think he could tell that I was emotionally fragile at the moment, and to be honest, I hated feeling this way. So instead of begging him to stay again, I simply nodded silently before taking a bite of the soup as Shouta left the room.

It was good, and the warm soup felt surprisingly nice on my stomach. At least I felt that way until about 4 or 5 bites in. I sat the bowl of soup on the nightstand and was going to try and eat some of the rice, but I stopped as the most excruciating wave of pain thus far hit me, causing my stomach to churn and spots to fill my vision.

"SHOUTA!" I cried out, accidentally activating my quirk. Shouta was back in the room in seconds, and as soon as he was in the room, I jumped into his arms, clinging to his chest as tears streamed down my face. Fortunately, his years as a pro hero meant his reflexes were phenomenal and he caught me with ease, pulling me protectively to his chest.

"What happened, Shinobu? I told you I was coming right back." His voice was his usual bored tone, but I could tell he was concerned and exhausted. He didn't know what to do at this point.

"Shouta, p-please stay and talk with me," I begged, needing to hear his voice and focus on it for grounding.

"Talk with you?" he asked, clearly confused and at a loss considering he wasn't a big talker by any means. I nodded.

"Your voice," I started but was interrupted by a pained cry as the feeling of melting from the inside out overcame me once again. I could just vaguely feel the sensation of Shouta tightening his arms protectively around me.

"Will it help distract you from the pain?..." he asked, and I nodded, unable to get the words out to explain exactly how it would help me, "Alright. Would you like to hear the story of how I got Shiro?" I gave him a pained smile followed by a desperate expression.

"A-anything is fine… Just please…," I tried to get more words out but they died off with another whimper. I felt Shouta lift me up gently and place me on the bed and lay with me and pull me to his chest as he began his story.

"I found Shiro when I first moved to this apartment. She was actually hiding in the closet here. The old tenants had apparently abandoned her, and she was covered in open wounds and signs that she was abused," he started with an angry scowl on his face before relaxing a bit, "Despite all of that, she immediately came up to me and purred and was friendly. She didn't seem to be scared of me at all. That cat showed no fear and a will to live life to the fullest that I hadn't seen. The vet said the same thing when I took her there. They said they'd never met such a friendly cat that had clearly been hurt by humans. Shiro's been mine ever since."

I smiled at that. Shiro was a beautiful cat inside and out apparently, and I wanted to spend more time with her. I made a mental note to prioritize that after I recovered. The distraction only lasted for moments before the pain reminded me of my predicament.

"How much longer till this poison wears off?" I inquired, somewhat afraid of the answer. Shouta looks at the clock before looking at me sympathetically.

"Another 6 hours. If you can, you should try and sleep. You didn't seem to sleep well earlier," he encouraged, his tone softer than usual as he began gently running his fingers through my hair as I tensed but nodded at his suggestion. My hand balled Shouta's shirt up in my fists as I clinged to him desperately. He pressed a firm kiss on the crown of my head, telling me he certainly noticed my anxiety spiking.

"Hey. I'll stay with you. Don't worry. You're not alone. I told you I would be here through this whole thing didn't I?" he soothed, rubbing small circles on my back. His actions combined with the kind words and the soothing tone of his voice allowed me to relax into his chest, trying to focus on the sound of his heartbeat rather than the feeling of the lava coursing through my veins. The pain was making it hard for me to remain fully conscious anymore.

"Thank you, Shou-ta," I whispered, my voice fading as everything went black and the darkness of unconsciousness overcame me, the sound of Shouta's heartbeat being the last thing I remembered as I slipped away from reality, unaware of when I would be able to return to it.

Song: Sunrise by Our Last Night

**A/N: **

**I'm backkkkk! Sorry for the short chapter, but this one and the next one will be a bit on the shorter side because it makes sense for them to stop where they do. I know it's been a couple of weeks, and I'm sorry about that. The good news is I should be able to update more regularly from now on (I hope). I already have the next two chapters planned out, I just need to write them. Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting and being supportive as I had to take a break to move and unpack and manage some things at home. Thank you all again, and I hope everyone is staying safe. 3 Taeha**


	18. Ch 17: The Last Hours

_Flashback Chapter (Mostly)_

Quick A/N here: This entire chapter is a flashback. However, I'm just going to say right now that the last flashback is not completely accurate about what happened. The full, real story of this flashback and what happened will be given in a later chapter as well as the reasoning for why Shinobu remembers it wrong. For now, just know that yes, one of these flashbacks is not consistent with what has been revealed thus far, and that is on purpose. Kay. Thanks :)

_Shinobu's Age: 5 years old_

_I watched the doctor talking to my parents. The world of silence I had lived in for the past year is a place I had grown quite comfortable, but I saw how sad it made Mommy and Daddy. We had already had to move three times because of me. For some reason, when I would get upset and cry, glass would break, Mommy would always cry, and then we would move. I don't know how it happened, but I knew it was my fault, which just made me cry more. This last time, we had to move to a house away from the city. There were no other houses near us, and I was pretty sure it was my fault._

_After a couple of minutes of the doctor talking with Mommy and Daddy, Mommy turned to me with a big smile on her face, and I got excited. Mommy smiled less and less lately, especially at me. She quickly began signing to me, and I also noticed that Daddy looked quite excited too._

_"Shinobu, this nice doctor here said that he can help you hear again!" Mommy signed excitedly causing my eyes to widen with hope and curiosity as I signed back._

_"Really?"_

_"Yes, baby. The doctor is going to give you some medicine that will help you control your quirk better, and then you'll be able to hear again and not break anything when you talk or cry just like all the other kids in your class!" Her response made me smile. I would be able to be a normal kid again. Though I didn't think not being able to hear was the worst thing ever, I knew it was wrong to not be able to hear. Otherwise, Mommy and Daddy wouldn't be so focused on helping me hear again._

_The doctor, who was kind of scary if I was being honest, handing me a medium sized clear purple pill. I really didn't want to take it, and I was really scared, but I saw how hopeful and happy Mommy and Daddy looked so I took it and immediately swallowed it as Mommy handed me a glass of water, which I drank after swallowing the pill._

_The effects weren't immediate, but they might as well have been. My eyes widened when I heard a garbling of words followed by then gradually becoming more clear as my ears adjusted to all the new sounds._

_"Ah… It seems to be working. How do you feel, Shinobu-chan?" the doctor's voice was kind of proud, like he already knew the results without me telling him. My head was hurting, pounding even, but I saw how happy Mommy and Daddy were. I didn't want them to worry anymore. I had caused enough trouble for them already, but my head was hurting so bad that tears filled my eyes._

_"M-my head hurts," I croaked, my voice weak from disuse and cracking from the pain I was feeling from the medicine, "It hurts r-really bad..." The doctor and my parents dismissed the pain I was feeling as a side effect of suddenly being able to hear after not being able to for nearly a year._

_"You'll be fine. It's a normal side effect. Your brain is just hurting because it's trying to get used to processing all this information again," the doctor stated dismissively as my dad got out his checkbook._

_"See, sweetie? You just have to be strong for a little bit, and you'll be okay. You're gonna be like other kids again! We won't have to move anymore, Shinobu! Isn't that great?" Mommy encouraged with a huge hopeful smile on her face. Not wanting to disappoint her or Daddy, I decided to just nod. I would be alright if they and the doctor said so._

_-Small Time Skip (One Week Later)-_

_I was wrong. I was not alright. Everything hurt. I no longer wanted to eat very often, and the headaches came within minutes of taking that medicine every time. I was always tired, but every time I told Mommy and Daddy that I didn't want to take the medicine, they would tell me that I just needed to endure it a little longer and that I was doing such a good job and being such a big girl. Not wanting to disappoint them, I simply smiled and agreed to keep trying._

_Shinobu's Age: 15 years old_

_It had been about ten years since I had taken that first clear purple pill, and the side effects had not gotten less severe like the doctor had assured my parents. In fact it was quite the opposite. What was originally severe headaches had turned into full on migraines. What had been light aching in my joints had become excruciating pain that would hit after I finally quit moving, usually as I got ready to go to bed. Finally, what had started off as a loss of appetite had turned into throwing up almost everything I would eat._

_Ten times, I had been hospitalized for malnutrition to the point where my parents had been investigated for neglect. Thanks to the doctor that my parents had been pouring money into; however, it was determined that it was an issue of having a very weak stomach with higher acidity than most people. I had begged and begged my parents to let me quit taking the pills._

_At around age 13, I had outright refused to take them. However, at the pressure of my mother and the doctor, my dad had literally forced them down my throat every single day until I complied and agreed to start taking them again. The force feedings had caused me to cough up blood slightly, and when I had confronted my parents, they told me that the doctor had told them ahead of time that a little bleeding from my throat was to be expected after having to do that._

_But this day had been different. Ever since that conversation, I had given up on trying to convince my parents to let me stop taking my pills and had forced myself to swallow one every single day. So what was different about today? Today, I had tried to take a pill five different times. But every time, no more than five minutes after swallowing one of the purple pills, it would come back along with whatever liquid I had used to chase it down. My ears were ringing and my throat was burning from throwing up so many times._

_Glancing down at the pill in my hand, I tried again, determined to keep it down this time. The water I chased it down with burned my throat as though it were acid, and this time, it lasted less than a minute. The heaving wracked my whole body as I once again vomited into the toilet I had been sitting beside since my third failed attempt at taking my medicine. As I wretched and vomited water and bile into the toilet, I felt my consciousness fading as the last thing I saw was a clear purple pill._

_I didn't know how much time had passed since I had passed out beside the toilet, but I awoke to a blanket of darkness and numbness. It was then that I realized, I had canceled all 5 of my senses. This had only happened once before when I had been an hour late taking my suppressants around age 12. That time I only had to take my medicine and then I was fine. But before I had passed out, I had taken the last pill that I had with me, so I decided to try and force off my cancellation quirk._

_God, it hurt. I didn't realize it would hurt my head so freaking bad just to stop the quirk. It felt like my brain was imploding on itself as I let out a scream of pain right as I stopped my quirk; however, when I screamed, my voice quirk activated stronger than it ever had. My eyes were met with a sight I wish I had never seen._

_The house was shaking, glass shards were everywhere, and in a matter of seconds, the house had collapsed. It was then that I remembered _Oh no! Mom and dad are home!_ I was fortunate that since I had caused the damage, my voice had caused the roof directly above me to fly off. I had a couple of small bruises and scratches from broken glass and the towel rod falling on me, but that was it._

_After stumbling over the rubbled remains of our house and dodging pieces that were falling from the parts of the ceiling that were still in tact, I finally made it to my parents room. Tears began flowing down my cheeks as I found them with the lower half of their bodies stuck under one of the fallen support beams, except mom has a broken piece of wood sticking out of her stomach. I ran to them and began trying to explain._

_"Mom, dad! I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to!" I cried and apologized, my voice cracking as I looked to see my parents' eyes filled with hatred and disgust._

_"Sorry doesn't fix this, you useless child!" my dad yelled angrily, "My wife and I are going to die because of your selfishness!"_

_"You're a monster! You refused to take your suppressant again didn't you? We were stuck in a void of nothingness for HOURS and woke up to be crushed to death!" my mom screamed. I begged her to stop and that I was sorry, but she wasn't done._

_"I don't know why UA would accept a VILLAIN like you into their hero program! What kind of hero kills her parents with her own selfishness! I wish you had never been born!" she finished before passing out and taking one last shallow breath before she was completely still. My dad turned to me with a look of insanity and hatred in his chartreuse eyes that matched mine._

_"You killed my wife, your mother. You're a…," he took one more breath and used it to finish his sentence, "murderer." At that, he too was still, and I looked around desperately calling for someone, anyone to help my parents. Maybe someone with a shock quirk could revive them. I mean medical technology and quirks were getting more powerful and advanced all the time right?! Then, I got sight of a familiar head of unruly blonde hair._

_"Hizashi-nii!" I yelled out, running up to him and clinging to him in desperation. He looked at me with worried green eyes before his eyes darted to my parents' lifeless bodies before returning to me with a much more hardened expression._

_"What happened to Auntie and Uncle, Shinobu?" he asked me, his voice distant and angry. I burst into sobs as I told him what happened. As soon as my story finished, he shoved me away from him and to the ground before standing over me angrily._

_"You killed them. The other kids were right. You really do have a villain's quirk!" Hizashi yelled angrily at me before activating his quirk to scream at me, "I WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN! MURDERER!" I covered my ears as I felt them began to bleed, my eyes going wide as I saw a large, sharp piece of wood that had previously been dangling from the already unstable ceiling, fall in what appeared to be slow motion as it pierced Hizashi-nii straight through his head and down through the middle of his body, coughing up blood that hit my face._

_Flashbacks End_

I woke up screaming at the top of my lungs, and I wonder how I had avoided activating my voice quirk yet. That was until I noticed the strong arms wrapped securely around me, and I looked up to see Shouta with his eyes glowing red and his inky black hair defying gravity.

"Shinobu, what happened?" his low, tired voice rumbled worriedly causing me to turn to him with tears in my eyes and shame in my heart.

"I-I shouldn't be alive… I'-I'm a… murderer!"

Song: Migraine by twenty one pilots


	19. Ch 18: Saving Her

-Shouta's POV-

After encouraging Shinobu to try and sleep through her last 6 or so hours of the poison being in her system, I was relieved when she managed to sleep somewhat peacefully and had even drifted off myself with her in my arms, that is until there were about 3 hours left. At around that point, Shinobu started to tremble and whimper nearly constantly. It had woken me up, and it had quickly escalated to the point where she was sobbing. After nearly half an hour of trying to wake her up, I had decided that it was more than likely just a side effect of the poison, and making her face that pain awake would probably be worse. Oh how wrong I was.

Suddenly, Shinobu woke up screaming. I managed to cancel her quirk almost immediately, stopping any damage to either of our ears as well as my apartment as I tightened my grip around her protectively. After a second, she looked at me, her chartreuse eyes manic and full of guilt and grief as they met my onyx eyes.

"What happened, Shinobu?" I asked, letting my voice show some worry about the silver haired heroine in my arms. Her response had me feeling even more concerned.

"I-I shouldn't be alive... I'm a... murderer!" Shinobu answered with a sob as she buried her face into my chest. My eyes widened at this, but I couldn't panic. It wouldn't help her. She kept calling herself a murderer over and over again in a hoarse whisper, and I tried to get her attention.

"Why are you calling yourself a murderer?" I asked gently, trying not to upset her more, but she just ignored and continued the sobbing that she was a murderer. My eyes darted over to the clock, and my heart sank. The poison should have worn off nearly an hour ago. _Shit._ Shinobu was mentally breaking, and I had no idea what to do. _Stop. Shouta, you've been trained to handle this. Fall back on your trauma training_. After calming myself down with that thought, I did just that.

"Who did you kill, Shinobu?" I asked, humoring her delusions. We were taught that sometimes asking questions about a manic persons delusions could help break them out of it on their own. Shinobu's red ringed and swollen bright green eyes shot up to me as she bit her lip to hold back another sob.

"M-my parents and Z-z-zashi-nii," she stuttered, her eyes full of guilt and tears as she looked at me, "I'm so sorry, Shouta... I killed your best friend. You shouldn't be with me." Not wanting to even begin to get into that complicated situation with her when she was like this, I felt my eyes widen at her claiming to have killed Hizashi; however, her confession gave me an idea on how to snap her out of this.

Shinobu started to pull away from me and ran towards the door, but I couldn't let her leave in this state. On instinct, I caught her with my capture weapon which I kept on the nightstand and pulled her to me, guilt trying to worm its way into my conscience when she looked at me with tear filled eyes. I pulled her back to my arms and released her from my weapon, causing confusion to show in her eyes.

"Wh-what are you doing, Shouta? Are you going to take me to the police?" she questioned, her quiet voice full of guilt and a bit of relief. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment to fight back the guilt I felt for what I was about to do.

"I'm sorry, Shinobu, but this is for your own safety," I replied softly before hitting a pressure point on her neck, successfully knocking her out and catching her as she fell and placing her on my bed. I placed a soft kiss on her forehead as I grabbed my phone and hit the 2 on my speed dial. It was a matter of one ring before a familiar loud voice answered as I walked into my living room.

"Hey, Shouta! Man, you've been working Nobu like a damn horse. I haven't seen her in almost two days now! You gotta give the poor girl a break!" Hizashi teased. I pinched the bridge of my nose, and braced myself and turned my phone down for his reaction to what I was about to tell him.

"Hizashi, listen... You need to come over. Right now," I told him.

"Man, you gotta quit saying that! I'm starting to get worried that something is wrong every time you say that!" he joked. I sighed loudly.

"This time... There is something wrong... Fuck, Hizashi... Shinobu... She was... She was injured on our patrol a little over 24 hours ago... She was stabbed by a villain, while protecting me," I admitted, my voice low and full of regret. I cared so deeply for her, and I know our job was dangerous so she was going to get hurt. It was part of being a hero, but dammit she wasn't supposed to get hurt protecting me.

"... You're joking right?... She literally just recovered less than a month ago from being attacked... She wouldn't be that careless on patrol," Hizashi muttered in disbelief, clearly in denial about the whole situation.

"I'm not joking, Hizashi... And that's not all... The villain's weapon had a poison on it that he created using his quirk. It causes the person infected with it to be hit with excruciating pain in waves for 24 hours. Everyone who has been infected with this poison has ended up having a mental breakdown and being admitted to insane asylums," I stated, switching to the matter-of-fact tone I use in mission reports so he knew I was not joking. There was radio silence for a couple of seconds.

"Eraser, where the hell is Shinobu right now?" he asked, his voice deadly calm for the information I just gave him, "And why the hell am I just being notified when this happened over 24 hours ago?" I took a deep breath and braced myself.

"She's at my apartment right now, and I made that call," I state bluntly and then continued before he could cut me off, "And I did so because the last thing she needed was you yelling and doting over her about everything. It would just make her feel guilty for taking up your time when she was already in such a mentally and physically fragile state. I made the most rational decision given the information that I had."

"And what the fuck do you think gives you the right to make that call, Shouta? That is my little sister!" Hizashi immediately snapped back, clearly trying to reign in his quirk with how pissed he was. My mouth was moving before I even had time to process what I was admitting to him.

"Because I'm in love with her, you idiot!" Time froze at that point for me. The thought had briefly entered my mind over the time I had gotten to spend with her, but I had always immediately dismissed it, not wanting to get too attached, especially with her not being comfortable even with any kind of official relationship. And the first person I admit it to isn't Shinobu or even myself, but to Hizashi, her overprotective big brother figure and my best friend?... _Fuck._

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I hadn't even realized Hizashi had stayed silent before I heard the call cut, and I let out a long sigh. I walked back to my room and checked on Shinobu, as I tucked a stray hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek gently and resting my forehead on hers for a second.

"Dammit, Shinobu. What are you doing to me?" I muttered quietly as I heard a banging on my door, letting me know that this shit show was just getting ready to begin. Making my way quickly to the front door, I had barely gotten the lock unlatched before Hizashi was shoving the door open and walking past me, his eyes darting around my living room before turning to glare at me as I closed and relocked the door.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"In bed. I had to hit a pressure point to knock her out to stop her from running to God knows where," I replied bluntly. At the word "bed", the blonde's glare intensified as he ran back to my room and quickly opened the door to see Shinobu in bed passed out in my long sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants. Part of me hoped Hizashi wouldn't notice that fact because given how he's acting, he would definitely assume the wrong thing.

"Why the hell is she in your clothes, Aizawa?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically low and quiet. _Last name huh? He's really pissed._ I glared back at his unsaid accusation.

"She was in her hero costume when she got injured. I offered her those to change into so she could be more comfortable. Whatever the hell you're assuming we did, didn't happen, so back off with the pissed off attitude about it. There clothes, Mic. We have bigger issues to do deal with right now," I snapped back angrily, before turning to Shinobu with a worried expression. I saw Hizashi open his mouth to no doubt tear me a new one but our argument was interrupted by Shinobu whimpering a single word, er well name.

"Shouta," she whimpered, curling herself into a ball. The glare I received from Hizashi at that could have killed someone as he darted to her side and started shaking her awake. Her eyes shot open in panic at how roughly he was shaking her, and when she saw who it was, she looked like she was going to go hysterical.

"Uncle, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to kill them! Please! Don't punish me anymore!" she cried out in anguish and fear of Hizashi. As her eyes darted around the room, they fell on me, and in seconds, she was up and hiding behind me while gripping my hand and trembling.

"Sho... It was an accident I swear. Please don't let Uncle hurt me again!" Shinobu sobbed from behind me causing Hizashi's eyes to widen as an expression mixed with shock, anger, and heartbreak contorted his usually relaxed face.

As much as I wanted to help my friend, I had someone who needed me more at that moment. In response to her desperate pleas, I pulled Shinobu gently from behind me and pulled her into a protective hug to calm her down as I started running my fingers through her silver hair. I had learned during these past 24 hours that this always seemed to help her relax a bit.

"Shhh," I comforted quietly, my voice softer than anyone else had heard it before, "Shinobu, that's not your uncle. I need you to listen to me. That poison you were infected with seems to have altered your memories." Shinobu's only response was to look up at me in fear and confusion so I elaborated, as I turned her to where she could see Hizashi, causing her to freeze up.

"That's Hizashi right there. He's not dead. Neither are you parents. You're not a murderer, Shinobu. You've never killed anyone," I stated firmly, not wanting to give her any room for doubt in my voice. At this, her eyes shoot open even wider as she looked back to me and then backed to Hizashi who by now looks completely lost. It's silent for a couple of minutes as I hold my breath waiting for the silver haired heroine's reaction. This could tell me whether she's completely gone or if we can still bring her back.

"Sorry, Hizashi-nii-san. Please don't call me a villain... I've been training really hard I promise. You don't have to love me, but please... If what Shouta says is true, then please, please don't hate me," her soft, sweet voice is still full of nerves and fear, but her words and the lack of trembling in her body gives me hope that maybe just maybe, we can bring her back to reality.

I release Shinobu from the tight hug I had her in as she takes a hesitant step towards the blonde voice hero who looks absolutely devastated and shocked at her words and fearful tone. It's only a minute before Hizashi snapped out of his shock and tackled Shinobu into a tight hug.

"I don't hate you! I could never hate you Nobu-chan!" he exclaimed, tears falling from his eyes as he pulls her into his chest in a bone crushing hug.

"R-really?" Shinobu asks in shock, her eyes beginning to reflect that spark of light that had been fading ever since she had been infected by that bastard villain's poison.

"Of course! Nobu-chan, you're my baby sister! I love you!... And I'll help you fix your memories, I promise! Now, let's go home!" Hizashi responded enthusiastically as he gave her a big grin through the tears falling from his eyes. At his last statement, Shinobu froze and her chartreuse eyes darted to me with a pleading expression. Before I can say anything, I see the hurt and angered look on Hizashi's face. He hadn't missed the look she gave me.

"You want to stay here with him..." Hizashi states. It's not a question. It's a statement that holds a certain level of begrudging acceptance to it that doesn't go unnoticed, but Shinobu nods anyway. My heart seized a bit at her wanting to stay with me as my blonde friend sighs but gives her a tense smile.

"Alright, my number 1 listener. How about you go freshen up? I'm gonna have a chat with Shouta and grab you some extra clothes and stuff from home," he suggested, though it was clear that he was insistent that she go.

At his agreement, Shinobu smiles a shy and true smile before looking at me questioningly as if to ask if the arrangement was okay with me. I couldn't help but give her a small smile and nod letting her know that I was perfectly fine with it. With that, Shinobu turned back to Hizashi giving him a huge hug before running over to me and standing on her tiptoes and giving me a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you so much, Shouta," she said softly, a small, sweet smile on her pale pink lips. I couldn't help but give her a small kiss on her forehead.

"Anytime," I replied with a tiny smile as she pulled away with a blush, "By the way towels are in the bathroom cabinet." She nodded shyly before running off to the restroom. I chuckled a bit to myself, nearly giddy with relief at seeing signs of her going back to her normal self. However, that relief was dampened by a clearly irritated throat clearing causing me to turn to meet the pissed off glare of my best friend who was sitting on my bed with his arms crossed.

"Now, care to explain to me what the fuck is going on here?"

Song: The Monster/Wake Me Up (Nightcore Version)

A/N:

Whatttt? Double update?! I apologize for any grammar errors on this one. I just was on a roll for writing today, and I like to post almost as soon as I finish a chapter especially since I hadn't posted in a while. Hope y'all enjoy :) 3


	20. Ch 19: Ruptured Silence

-Shouta's POV-

"Now, care to explain to me what the fuck is going on here?"

Hizashi's glare could have killed or at least seriously intimidated most people, but he had been my best friend for over 10 years. I knew that he was most likely more hurt about us not telling him then anything.

"I have feelings for Shinobu, Hizashi. Strong feelings. And she has them for me too. I've been letting her dictate the pace of things since she told me she's never been in any sort of relationship before," I explained bluntly. His narrowed eyes relaxed slightly at this, but his interrogation wasn't over yet.

"How long has this been going on?"

"A little over 2 weeks."

"Who made the first move?"

"I did, but I gave her plenty of time to express that she wasn't interested or comfortable," I responded to his questions almost as quickly as he asked them. I wasn't going to bullshit or beat around the bush with Hizashi on this. It wouldn't do anyone involved any good if I did. After a couple of minutes of what was a rather tense silence, he finally spoke again, this time his voice is loud, clear and has a hint of anger in it.

"How far have you two gone?"

"That's really not any of your business, Mic. We're both adults." At that response, Hizashi grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and pulled me eye to eye with him, clearly pissed off at my response.

"How. Far. Shouta," he asked through gritted teeth. I sighed but decided to tell him. If we didn't hurry this conversation up, I was worried Shinobu would come in and this would not help her mental state right now.

"Calm down, Mic. All we've done is kiss a couple of times. No making out, no sex, and I haven't pressured her for it. It's not even something that's on the table right now," I answered, my serious tone back as I met his glare with a serious gaze of my own, "I'm not going to pressure her into something she's not ready for, Hizashi."

"Look, Shouta, Shinobu has a lot of baggage that comes with her. So if you're not serious about this thing with her, or you're not willing to deal with that baggage, then back off. She doesn't need any half-assed relationships in her life," Hizashi snapped, his green eyes blazing in protectiveness and anger at the thought that I might hurt Shinobu.

-Shinobu's POV-

I held back a quiet gasp at what I had just heard Hizashi-nii say to Shouta as I had exited the bathroom. I had been so excited to get back to them because I felt like things were going to be okay, but… _Hizashi-nii really just thinks of me as a burden. I guess those insecurities caused by the poison really were rooted in reality._

I pressed my back against the wall beside the open door to hear the rest of the conversation. Part of me wanted to run, but a bigger part of me needed to know how Shouta felt too. I peaked around the door frame to see Shouta's fists clenched and his jaw taught with an angry glint in his onyx eyes; however, when he responded to Nii-san, his voice was scarily calm.

"Shinobu has never once been a burden to me," he stated strongly, "Her so-called baggage you're referring too are terrible events that happened to her and a mental disorder that is also not her fault. She has carried and dealt with all of these things alone, without complaint, in silence for years. If she'll let me help her carry it, I'm more than willing to. She at least deserves that much."

At that, I let out a relieved sob as I stood in the doorway now where they could me. My eyes were filled with tears, both of devastation from Nii-san's words and relief from Shouta's. The underground hero walked towards me with a softened expression in his eyes as he spoke in a much softer tone than what he used with Hizashi-nii, as though I were going to shatter if he spoke too harshly. Honestly, maybe I would have.

"He didn't mean it like that, Shinobu. Hizashi is just an idiot. No one thinks you're a burden," Shouta soothed as he came up to me and grabbed my hand gently tracing soft circles on the back of it with his thumb.

"Nobu, I-I didn't mean it like it sounded! Come on! You know I've never thought of you as a burden!" Hizashi-nii sounded desperate as he apologized, but his loud voice which I always found comical and endearing as well as his conflicting words were making my head throb with the beginning of a migraine as the memories from the poison and my actual memories warred for dominance in my head.

"No, Nii-san. I DON'T know that. My memories are all jumbled up! Some of them have two different versions, and I can't tell which one is the real one! So honestly, I don't know much of anything when it comes to you right now!" I snapped, taking my hand from Shouta's as I began signing while speaking, one of my biggest tales that my anxiety was kicking in. Hizashi stood there for a second with his mouth open in shock before his eyes narrowed. He looked angry for some reason.

"Then how come you remember everything with Shouta just fine?!" he demanded loudly. At that, I felt my composure and calm demeanor completely snap.

"Because I may be falling in love with him, but the one thing my brain couldn't handle was losing you as my big brother!" I yelled angrily, ignoring the shocked faces of the two heroes in the room with me as I continued, "If Shouta ended up rejecting me, sure I would have been heartbroken, but I would heal because I had the best, most supportive and crazy overprotective nii-san that would shit talk him and eat tubs of ice cream with me until I was okay! That poison targeted my memories with things that would hurt the most, like losing you, you idiot!" With that last statement, all the anger drained out of me, leaving only pain and loss in its wake as I came to a realization that had hurt more than any of the pain that stupid poison had inflicted.

"But I guess I didn't even need the damn poison to do that," I whispered and signed quietly as my voice broke and I kept my gaze locked on the floor.

Tears filled my eyes as I cancelled my own hearing and sight, not wanting to deal with anymore as I walked blindly to where I knew the bed was and buried my face into a pillow and sobbed. The best part of my quirk was being able to make myself not know if other people were around. After a couple of minutes, I felt soft fur and a cold nose poke into my cheek. I deactivated my quirk as I turned to see Shiro staring at me with what seemed to be concern. I gave her a weak smile.

"Thanks Shiro," I murmured as I hugged her and buried my face in her fur, not looking up until I felt a dip in the bed beside me.

"He went home. He's going to bring Kuro and some of your clothes tomorrow," Shouta's low voice informed me. I sighed and released Shiro who immediately jumped off the bed to do her own thing.

"Maybe just have him take them to a nearby asylum and have me admitted," I replied dejectedly as I looked up at his onyx eyes, feeling devoid of all hope at this point. I had always had issues with my anxiety, and now to make it worse, my memories being messed up made my mind even more unstable. _Maybe I am just going to end up being a danger to others at this point, and they really should just admit me before something bad happens._ My thoughts were interrupted as Shouta wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, his long fingers going straight to work stroking my hair making me relax slightly.

"I'm not letting them take you away from me," he murmured as I felt him place a warm kiss on the top of my head.

"Who?" I asked in confusion as I looked at him with furrowed brows. His hand stops stroking my hair as he cups my cheek gently.

"Anyone," he replied before pulling me into a deep and affectionate kiss that would have made my legs give out had we not been laying down before pulling away and locking his onyx eyes with mine, a serious but caring expression on his face, "Be mine, Shinobu. We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable. I just want to be the one that gets to protect you and help you carry all of the baggage you've been carrying on your own for far too long." My breath hitched at his sweet words and serious expression as a blush spread across my freckled nose and cheeks, but I couldn't stop the sincere smile that found its way onto my lips.

"I'd love to be yours, Shouta."

Song: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz


	21. Ch 20: Jealousy

-Shinobu's POV-

The next morning, I woke up to my arms wrapped around my waist and my back pressed up against Shouta's muscular chest. Trying my best not to wake him, I began to slowly unwrap his arms from around me, but as soon as I got one off, he wrapped it right back around me and pulled me even closer to him.

"5 more minutes," his low voice husky from sleep as he murmured into my shoulder, his stubbly facial hair tickling me, earning a quiet giggle from me.

"We have work today, Shouta," I reminded him earning a groan as he moved to look at the clock on the night stand before burying his face into my neck.

"It's only 6:30, Nobu, and we don't have a class this semester," he argued, his hot breath hitting my neck and making me giggle yet again as I rolled my eyes at him. Realizing that he wasn't going to budge on his own, I quickly activated my quirk, cancelling both his sight and sense of touch before pushing his arms off of me and rolling out of the bed before deactivating my quirk.

"That's not fair," he groaned before rolling on his stomach and going back to sleep. Stifling a laugh at his childish behavior, I checked my phone to see that I had a text from Hizashi-nii. I was afraid to read it, but I was feeling a lot more calm about everything after the night of cuddling and sleeping next to Shouta. Also, something about officially being in a relationship with him put me a little bit at ease. Looking at the message, I smiled a bit.

_**Zashi-Nii:**_ _Hey, Nobu-chan, I know you probably hate me right now, but I wanted to apologize and tell you that I dropped some of your clothes off in front of Shouta's place. I'll also be coming to drop off Kuro later today. Sent 6:05AM_

Excited to have my own clothes again, I ran quietly to the front door, and sure enough, there was my lavender dufflebag and my silver backpack sitting right outside the door. I quickly grabbed them before closing and locking the door. Going back to the restroom, I opened the bags to find a couple of sets of clothes, including underwear, my migraine medicine, my anxiety medicine, and a couple of pairs of pajamas as well. Unfortunately, the clothes inside did not include the spare leggings I had for my hero costume so I had to go with something a bit different than my usual clothing for work.

After changing the bandages and cleaning my healing stab wound in my thigh, I settled on a pair of sheer black tights, and a long sleeved ice blue dress that was tight at the top but started flowing at the waist that reached to just a couple of inches above my knees. After putting on a pair of black ankle boots and my typical eyeliner and mascara, I was ready to go.

Looking in Shouta's fridge, I was not entirely happy with the lack of fresh food that would have been healthy for him to eat. Instead, I was met with mostly juice pouches, and I frowned as I began searching for something easy to make that we could eat as we walked to work. Fortunately, I came across some rice and shiozake (salted salmon) and settled on making rice balls for us. Not the most healthy option, but it would do for now.

After making the rice balls, I put some workout clothes in my silver backpack as well as my hero costume that I needed to get repaired. As I was doing that, I noticed that Hizashi-nii had also put a bag of my favorite candy, sour gummy worms, in my backpack, and I smiled to myself. I knew I had to forgive him, but I just couldn't figure out which memories were real or not and it was really taking its toll on my mind. So for now, I tucked that thought away.

Just as I finished getting ready to go and packing the rice balls to take with us, Shouta came out of the room, fully dressed in his hero costume, a tired expression on his face as I handed him a rice ball. He murmured a surprised thanks as we both walked out of the apartment and headed towards U.A.

"Shinobu! That dress looks amazing on you! Seeing you dressed like that seriously turns me on!" Midnight exclaimed causing me to roll my eyes and scrunch up my nose in disgust. I was not in the mood for her antics today. Part of me wanted to just turn and walk out of the teacher's lounge, but they had tea in here, and I needed the caffeine. I'd had a long ass two days.

Instead of acknowledging the R-rated heroine, I just walked over to the tea kettle and poured myself a cup of green tea and put a packet of sugar in it before sitting down at my desk beside Seikijiro's, whose face was extremely red as he looked down at me. I notice him take a deep shaky breath before speaking to me with a kind smile on his face.

"So um, Shinobu-chan, I wanted to ask you if you were free to have dinner with me tonight?" he asked, his voice rough as usual but quiet, showing how nervous he was at the moment. I panicked. Not because I wanted to say yes, but because I didn't want to hurt his feelings and I'd never dealt with a situation like this. I opened my mouth to politely decline, but Shouta's tired voice cutting me off.

"Give it up, Vlad. She's taken," Shouta stated bluntly, causing my face to turn a bit red. Seikijiro frowned, seeming very unhappy with Shouta's interruption.

"By who? And how do you even know that?" he accused irritatedly. I resisted the urge to facepalm at how this conversation was going. What would Shouta do now? _I know we are officially together, but we haven't really talked about telling others. How is this sort of thing even supposed to work?_

"Because it's me," Shouta shot back immediately, and I felt the eyes of all the other teachers go to me in shock. _Somehow, I don't think that's how this is supposed to work._ I felt Seikijiro tense up beside me and when I looked up at him, he was glaring at Shouta.

"What?! You finally got tired of going home with a different girl every Friday night then, Aizawa?" Seikijiro snapped causing my eyes to go wide. My fight or flight kicked in, and I, as I usually would, chose flight.

I cancelled the sight and hearing of everyone in the room before fleeing to Gym Gamma to try and blow of some steam from both the anxiety of having so many people looking at me and my own damned insecurities. I didn't really hold the whole thing against Shouta because to be honest, it seemed like Seikijiro was just being petty. But if it was true… My insecurities took over my thoughts as I ran to the gym.

-Shouta's POV-

The want to throw a punch at Seikijiro for that immature stunt was a temptation that I was fighting back with everything in me, especially when my vision and hearing were cancelled for about about 10 seconds. When I could see again, I noticed all the teachers readjusting to what had just happened, making it clear that she'd used her quirk on all of us. I sighed and ran my hand through my ink black hair.

The comment Vlad had made was a topic I wanted to bring up with Shinobu on my own. Yes, I had been a one night stand kind of guy. Being in a close relationship with someone terrified me, and it still did. But I wanted something more with the silver-haired heroine. She had infiltrated my life and made me want more than just a one night stand, where I chased after my own pleasure and the girl was gone the next day. I wanted more mornings like this one where I woke up with her in my arms. But now, I couldn't express any of that to her the way I had wanted to.

"What the hell made you think it was your business to tell her that?" I demanded with a scowl. Vlad looked at me with a victorious smirk.

"She deserves better than you. The least I could do was tell her the truth since you obviously hadn't," he responded back, the smugness evident in his voice. Before I could respond, a voice rang out in the room shocking both me and Vlad into silence.

"That wasn't your call to make, Vlad. Shouta and Nobu-chan's relationship is between them, and they need to discuss things at their own pace," Hizashi stated loudly as he stood up from a desk in the back corner of the room. He was almost unrecognizable to most people out of his hero costume. His hair was pulled into a messy low bun, and his signature sunglasses were replaced his regular glasses. Instead of being in his leather suit, he was in a button down shirt and some black dress slacks. His eyes had bags under them and were tinged red, indicating that after his argument with Shinobu last night, the blonde hero had most likely gotten next to no sleep.

"I know you guys are best friends and all Mic, but you can't seriously be okay with her being with this playboy!" Vlad retorted incredulously earning him a glare from Hizashi.

"Shouta and Shinobu are both adults. It doesn't matter if I approve or not, and I've seen how much more she comes out of her shell around him," he admits almost in defeat before narrowing his eyes threateningly at me, "Besides, if he hurts her in any way at all, I'm shouting his hobo looking ass into next week." I nodded in agreement at his statement.

"Honestly, I'd probably let him," I added, earning a small smirk from Hizashi that turned into a sad smile as he continued speaking.

"Then, I'll got get us each a tub of ice cream and her favorite a pizza and talk shit about him until she's over him," Hizashi said as he walked towards the door before looking back Vlad with his eyes narrowed to slits, "Oh and Vlad, she deserves better than some giant hothead who hurts her and talks shit about a person she cares about just in hopes of having a shot with her too." With that, Hizashi left, having not raised his voice once, and leaving the entire room stunned into silence.

Song: Let Her Go by Passenger


	22. Ch 21: Comforting Silence

-Hizashi's POV-

As soon as I left the teachers' lounge, I headed out to look for Nobu… I couldn't believe Vlad had brought up Shouta's past just because he was jealous of him. It irritated me to no end. As I walked out of the building, I heard a yell that I recognized as Nobu using her voice quirk. _Shit… She's gonna end up hurting herself if she overdoes it. _I picked up the pace until I was jogging to the sound of her voice.

When I got close to Gym Delta, I had to put my headphones that I kept around my neck over my ears. Her voice wasn't louder than mine, but the frequencies she used were much higher pitched than what I used. The piercing tone of it made my ears ring, which is saying something since I was literally born with my voice quirk.

When I entered the gym, I was greeted with the sight of Nobu yelling at cement walls, and while the walls weren't falling over, I was able to several microfractures in the cement that would cause it to crumble to dust if she were to keep up her attacks as she was now. Not wanting her to strain her voice anymore, I came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump back and turn to me in shock as I removed my headphones and began signing to her, not speaking in case her ears were ringing as well.

'That quirk of ours may be a pain in the ass, but it's hella useful for stress relief, huh?' I signed with an understanding but tense smile that Shinobu did not return. Instead, her expression was blank minus the shine of the apparent tears that had been streaming down her cheeks.

'What are you doing here?' she signed back. _Straight to the point. She's really upset._ I gave her a concerned smile, reaching into my pocket as I sat down on the floor of the gym, I pulled out a bag of her favorite candy, sour gummy worms.

This morning I had decided I would stock up on them in case she ever seemed like she needed some emergency candy. Now seemed like a good example of one of those times. I patted the spot in front of me, indicating for her to sit down, and when she did, I ripped open the bag of gummies and passed it to her as she immediately popped one into her mouth, her hardened expression softening ever so slightly.

'I figured after what happened in the teachers' lounge, you might need a big brother and some candy,' I signed with a nervous smile. I was still unsure if she would forgive me after me snapping about her and Shouta getting together.

It's not that I didn't like the guy, but Shinobu was my baby sister in my mind. She deserved the absolute best, and it's not that Shouta wasn't a good guy. I knew better than anyone that Shouta had a heart of gold hidden under that grumpy and blunt exterior, but Shinobu needed someone who could be delicate with her which is something I wasn't sure Shouta could accomplish.

To my surprise, Shinobu gave me a small smile and nodded before popping another gummy into her mouth and signing back, 'You were right.' I had to stop myself from jumping up and doing a happy dance at her indirectly saying that she still thought of me as her big brother. This feeling only solidified the conclusion I had come to the night before: Being harsh about her and Shouta's relationship was not worth losing or even damaging the bond Shinobu and I had.

From day one, it seemed like she and I were the only two who really understood each other. We had always played together when the other kids would avoid us. Though Shinobu never knew it, the kids avoided us not just because of her quirk, but because they found my quirk really annoying and I wasn't great at controlling it. The only people that ever put up with me and my quirk before I got a strong handle on it besides Shinobu were Shouta, Oboro, and Nemuri.

A lot of times, when I looked at Shinobu, I would see her as she looked when she was 15: short dark brown hair, with long bangs that she would always hide behind. But sitting in front of me now, I realized, was a young woman with long silver hair that was always neat and unafraid to stand tall, unless she was having a panic attack. I sighed internally and decided it was time to put on my big boy pants and man up about this situation.

'You know, I wouldn't have let you stay with Shouta last night if I didn't trust him,' I signed, getting to the elephant in the room. At this, Nobu looked down sadly and signs in return without looking up.

'It's not that I don't trust him. I just feel like I'm too… inexperienced in any of this relationship stuff.' I blanched, unfortunately well aware of what kind of "stuff" she was referring to given the conversation in the teachers' lounge earlier; however, I quickly steeled myself as I reminded myself that she was an adult so when she looked up at me, I was able to sign back without looking too uncomfortable. At least I hope so…

'Shouta's not really experienced in the relationship part either. As far as I know, you're the first serious relationship he's had. The guy doesn't really let people in much,' I pointed out while signing, thanking whatever deity was in charge of this conversation that we were not speaking out loud right now. Nervousness could be expressed while signing, but for someone as expressive as I was when it came to speaking, I could control it a bit better while signing. This response earned a small smile from the sweet silver-haired woman in front of me before her face flushed and she looked a bit nervous as she signed the next bit.

'What if I'm not… good enough for him?' Based on the expression she had before signing that, I immediately knew what she was referring to, and I found myself panicking. My first thought was to tell her that she's too young and naive for sex, but she's 24 so that won't work. Plus, I almost destroyed our bond the last time I was rude about their relationship. In my panic, I went total wingman mode for my best friend and began rambling.

'Look, Nobu-chan, Shouta knew all this when you guys started talking. It clearly isn't something he's concerned about. Besides, guys think it's kind of cute when a girl is… inexperienced….' _Holy shit! What am I saying… well signing? This is your baby sister Hizashi! Abort! Abort!_ But of course my hands didn't listen to my brain as I kept rambling with my signing, 'Besides Shouta is a teacher so -'

At that, Nobu grabbed my hands with a bright red color spread across her cheeks as she let out a musical laugh. I felt my heart lift and my face burn as I realized everything I had just signed to her, but fortunately all that embarrassment went out the window as I was pulled into a hug.

"Thanks, Zashi-nii! You're the best," Nobu finally spoke out loud in between her laughter before pulling away and giving me a full genuine smile, "There's no way those bad memories could possibly be real." That earned a full on grin on my face that could have rivaled All Might's.

"Oh yeah? And why is that my number 1 listener?" I inquired and my grin faded to shock when I saw a mischievous grin break across Nobu's face that if it was any bigger, it would have been scarily similar to Shouta's.

"Because the Nii-san in those memories would have NEVER endured giving me a pep talk about potentially having sex with his best friend," she replied without missing a beat the words not matching at all with her soft and sweet sounding voice, and while she had a slight blush on her face, her smirk didn't waver. At this, I buried my face in my hands trying desperately to avoid that mental image.

"Nobu-chaaannnnn!" I whined, "You didn't have to put it so bluntly!" This earned another giggle from Nobu who pulled my hands away from my face and gave me a peck on the cheek before getting up and dusting herself off.

"Thanks, Nii-san, for everything! I gotta go get ready for my training session with Tamaki. See you later!" she called out, her voice just loud enough for me to hear as she ran out of the gym.

As soon as she left, I flopped down on my back, for once, not caring that my clothes were getting dirt on them, because let's be real, I had packed my hero costume in case of emergencies anyways, as I let out a long relieved sigh and smiling to myself. I laid there for a moment before taking my phone out of my pocket and shooting a quick message to my best friend, who I guess is now dating my baby sister.

_LoudMouth: You owe me._

_EraserDude: I know. Thanks, Mic._

Attached to the message was a picture of Nobu-chan hugging him with a huge smile on her face, and I found myself having to admit. _They do look really cute together._

Song: Lemon Boy (Acapella Version) by Cavetown


	23. Ch 22: Training and Talking

-Shinobu's POV-

As soon as I had reached Shouta in classroom 1-A, I had given the raven haired man a tight hug. He had returned my hug after a couple of seconds, and I saw him sending a text on his phone, probably to Zashi-nii if I were to guess. It made me happy as I saw the tiny smile that tugged on the corners of his lips.

"Shinobu," he said in his typical tone as we finally separated from each other, "I want to talk to you later about what happened." I nodded in understanding before noticing the time.

"I have to go get Tamaki for training," I said softly, "See you later." And with that, I headed out the door, just barely catching Shouta's bored sounding response of "see ya" as I exited the doorway.

Looking down at my cell phone, going through my work email, I found the email that Nezu had sent me with Tamaki's class schedule. I smiled to myself as I realized he was currently in Nii-san's class, so as I walked to the doorway and knocked, I saw that Zashi-nii had changed from his earlier ragged appearance to his typical hero costume, giving me a sense of relief. I hadn't wanted him to mope anymore. It didn't suit the loud voice hero.

"Nobu-chan! How can I help you?" Nii-san greeted as he pulled me into a hug, successfully flustering me a bit as I felt the eyes of the entirety of Class 2-A on me. I quickly pulled away from Zashi to be able to sign, no longer feeling confident enough to speak.

'Nii-san, I need Amajiki Tamaki please for training,' I signed, earning a nod of understanding as he turned to the class.

"Amajiki-kun, please go with Muffle for now," Nii-san instructed, earning a nervous expression from the elf-eared student who looked like he might faint when all of his classmates' eyes landed on him. Noticing him starting to panic, I fought off my own nerves and spoke using my voice quirk ever so slightly to get the attention of the class who looked at Nii-san thinking he was responsible. He simply smirked and motioned to me.

"Excuse me. I just realized I have not introduced myself and rudely interrupted your class time. My name is Yamada Shinobu. I am also known as the Silent Hero, Muffle. I have recently started at UA as a teaching assistant. It's a pleasure to meet all of you," I finished with a polite bow, stealing my nerves for the sake of my student. As I returned to standing straight, Nii-san threw an arm around my shoulders, and I noted that Tamaki was almost done packing his stuff up and was starting to make his way away from his desk.

"Muffle here is also my younger cousin! She has two quirks: Sensory Cancellation and Voice. She can take away one or more of the five senses of any person she can see," Nii-san explained proudly, causing me to blush a bit as some of the students looked at me in awe and a few looked skeptical. My eyes darted to where Tamaki was and was relieved when I saw him standing outside the door.

"Well, it was nice to meet all of you, and I look forward to assisting you all with your studies as much as I can in the future," I said softly, my voice just barely carrying across the room as I did a small polite bow before heading to the door, "See ya later, Nii-san." The elated look on Zashi's face was worth the blush that colored my cheeks and the loud "awww"s that followed me as I exited the room and joined Tamaki out of sight of his peers.

"T-Thank you, Shinobu-Sensei," the indigo haired boy stuttered with some guilt in his tone. I gave him a soft smile and ruffled his hair, having to stand on my tippy toes to do so even with him hunched over.

"It's no problem, Tamaki-kun. What kind of sensei would I be if I couldn't help my student?" I assured him before adding, "Also, I understand the anxiety of having everyone's eyes on you." He looked at me in shock as we began walking.

"But you just talked with the whole class staring at you without even stuttering!" he protested, and I smiled as I noted that just now he hadn't stuttered talking to me that time.

"Yes, but I'm also ten years older than you. I was nervous too, but my instincts to protect you kicked in when you looked so scared," I told him truthfully, "I mess up a lot in less serious situations, but if I see someone that needs protecting or rescuing, my instincts kick in. That's what we are working towards with your training, and I would say it's working since you just spoke to me without stuttering once." Tamaki looked at me in awe, his eyes actually meeting mine, before looking down.

"You're right! Thank y-you, Sensei!" he said with a shy smile, and I returned it with a smile and nod. We eventually made it to our destination, and Tamaki looked at me in confusion.

"Why are we in the cafeteria?" he asked in confusion. I motioned for him to sit at one of the tables while I walked over and grabbed a tray that I had asked Lunch Rush to prepare ahead of time. The tray had a variety of foods from herbs and mushrooms to more obviously helpful foods like bamboo and some shellfish. I also had a cup of ginger tea in case the odd mix of foods caused him some digestion issues. I brought the tray over, and Tamaki seemed to understand the plan at that point.

"I know what your quirk is, but I haven't really seen you use it. Based on your file though, I had some ideas how you could use it for both combat and support," I explained, and Tamaki nodded in understanding, "And I brought ginger tea in case the weird combinations caused indigestion."

"You're very thoughtful, Shinobu-sensei, but I-I'm used to weird combinations due to training my quirk," Tamaki explained sheepishly, and I gave him a small proud smile.

"Then, this should be no problem," I encouraged as we began going through different combinations and such. This went on for almost thirty minutes as we discussed and tested the different combinations we came up with. Suddenly, a calloused hand landed on my shoulder, startling both me and Tamaki and causing me to accidentally cancel mine and Tamaki's hearing, but that lasted only a moment as a now familiar sensation of my quirk being erased brought my hearing back. I turned my head to see my tired boyfriend, _gosh that's still so weird to think_, and gave him a slight glare.

"Have you tried combining more than two foods at a time in a manifestation?" Shouta asked, clearly not phased by my glare as he directed his question at my now trembling student.

"Tamaki-kun, you've met Aizawa-sensei before, correct?" I asked trying to bring him back out of his shell. He barely met my eyes as Shouta took the seat next to me, silently interlocking our fingers under the table causing my face to heat up ever so slightly.

"I was his homeroom teacher last year," Shouta explained plainly, keeping his eyes on the shaking teen.

"Hey, Tamaki-kun. Did you know that I actually work as Aizawa-sensei's sidekick at his agency as well as being a teacher's aide here?" I informed him, causing him to look at me in surprise, "Yep. He's actually the one who has been teaching me hand-to-hand combat." At this, he looked over at Shouta, his eyes not quite meeting the scruffy teacher's.

After that, Tamaki relaxed ever so slightly, and we began to focus on Shouta's suggestion of combining three different foods for a manifestation. We found out that he could but it was difficult and often ended up not combining as seamlessly as he would like. When I dismissed him back to class, Tamaki looked very motivated to work on the triple combinations before our next training session, but he still looked very nervous around Shouta. After he left, I turned to Shouta.

"He's still nervous around you," I pointed out, and Shouta hummed in response before I asked, "Would you mind attending his training more often? I want him to get used to someone other than just me watching him." Shouta nods.

"Can I see his training schedule to see what you have planned?" he requested, and I looked at him confused, "You don't have a training schedule planned?" I shook my head no, my face heating up as I realized that that probably made me seem pretty inexperienced. As I was getting stuck in my own head, I heard Shouta sigh, and looked up when he ruffled my hair affectionately to see a small smirk on his face.

"Don't stress. You're new at this. I'm here to help you figure this stuff out," Shouta encouraged in his tired tone of voice. I couldn't help but smile at this, temporarily forgetting the discomfort that was in the back of my mind about the issue with Vlad from before.

After work, Shouta and I were cuddled up on his couch, relaxing after being around people all day. We were both introverts in every sense of the word, so silently cuddling after a day at work was a welcome change from the social expectations of the workplace. After a while, his baritone voice broke the peaceful silence.

"Shinobu," he called softly as he nuzzled his face into my hair, "I need to talk to you about the stuff with Vlad this morning."

I froze, not really wanting to think about it as my insecurities started to resurface, but while I was not experienced with romantic relationships, I had enough common sense to know that having this out in the open was important. I nodded as he pulled back, so he could see my face, his intense gaze causing me to hide behind my hair in nervousness. He chuckled at this, and I felt my face heat up even more as he gently tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Is it true?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, my eyes focused on my hands in my lap, not really wanting him to see the insecurity and pain in my eyes. Even if it was true, I had no right to be upset about it. We didn't even know each other, and Shouta had never done anything to make me feel like I wasn't good enough… Well except for the whole misunderstanding for my reasoning for being a hero.

"Yes, it _was_," Shouta emphasized the past tense as he used one of his hands to comfortingly grip my hand and the other to gently tilt my chin up so that I was looking him in the eyes, "I have a past of avoiding relationships like the plague and being a one night stand only type of guy. But I haven't ever done that out of malice, and I was always up front with the women I did that with ahead of time. You are the only woman I have ever actually pursued, and I promise all of that is in my past." His eyes were almost desperate, begging me to understand.

"I figured it was true based on how Zashi-nii talked to me," I admitted sheepishly and gave him a small, sad smile, "And I don't hold it against you. It was before you even knew me, and you're an adult. You make your own decisions. It was more like I felt like I wouldn't be good enough for you since I… um… I have no experience in that area." I had said the last sentence in a rushed whisper, not meeting Shouta's eyes as I felt my face quickly turning the color of a tomato.

"Shinobu," he said, getting my attention as I just barely met his eyes, seeing a content small smirk on his face at my flustered expression. He pulled me into a heavy and passionate kiss that made my knees weak and my heart stop briefly before pulling away and whispering seductively in my ear.

"You don't have to worry about that, Shinobu. I think you'll find that _I'm a great teacher_."

**A/N:**

**So this one is a little more flirty between Shouta and Shinobu, but they are not going to be getting hot and heavy anytime soon. So NO LEMON NEXT CHAPTER. Also, if I'm slow to post the next week or so, it's because I'm having to drive across the country with my husband and our young daughter to visit family that is fixing to have to leave the country (They live in another country). So yeah. I'm trying to do all this writing ahead, but we'll see.**


	24. Ch 23: Reconnecting

-Hizashi's POV-

As soon as Shouta told me that he was walking Nobu-chan back over to my apartment, I was ecstatic, and decided to begin Operation: Cousin Fun Night! Over the past several years, Nobu and I had really grown apart, and it had become more obvious to me over the last couple of months that she had actually been back. It became obvious that _I barely knew Nobu-chan as an adult_.

I mean sure, some of her mannerisms and likes, dislikes and that sort of thing remained pretty similar to our time in school. But what made her tick, how she handled different issues and what made her happiest, what she was interested in, what her goals for the future were. I no longer knew any of that. So I decided to do my best from here on out to reconnect with my sweet younger cousin. She meant the world to me. She always had, and I had always tried to protect her. But now, it was time for me to treat her as an equal, and be there to help encourage her and guide her when she needed it, just like a big brother should!

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts as I yelled "COMING!" accidentally activating my quirk in my excitement. I ran to the door and opened it to see an annoyed Shouta hand in hand with a silently giggling Shinobu. It took all of my willpower not to make a weird face or comment at the sight.

Seeing those two together was definitely something I was going to have to get used to if I wanted to become closer to Shinobu again. It was just weird to see her romantically interested in someone, and it was even weirder to see Shouta like this. He was crazy about Shinobu, even if it wasn't obvious to other people. He had a huge amount of respect for her, and seemed to really be confident in her ability as a hero, even if she wasn't that confident in herself.

"Hi, Nii-san," Nobu-chan's quiet, lyrical voice snapped me out of my internal roller coaster of thoughts, and I smiled widely at her.

"Hey, Nobu-chan!" I greeted before moving out of the doorway to let her in.

"I've got to head out on patrol. Make sure she doesn't try and overexert herself. Her wound is still healing," Shouta stated plainly to me which I acknowledged with a nod before he turned to Nobu, his expression softening a bit, "I won't be done until late. Do you want to stay here, or do you want me to come get you when my patrol is over?" Nobu blushed a bit, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and glancing back and forth between me and Shouta.

"If you want to stay with Shouta, you don't have to be afraid of what I think. I want you to do whatever makes you happiest," I offered her an assuring smile which caused her eyes to light up as she turned to Shouta.

"I think I'll stay here with Nii-san tonight, but please, let me know when you make it safely back to your apartment," Shinobu requested quietly earning a small nod and almost invisible smirk to spread across Shouta's face. He place a quick, affectionate kiss on her forehead before turning to head on his way. Nobu's face was a tinted pink when she walked back into the apartment.

"Sorry, Nii-san," she apologized sheepishly, "I know it must be uncomfortable for you to see me dating your best friend." I gave her a nod and a smile as I pulled her into a big hug.

"It's fine, Nobu-chan! Yes, it's going to take me a bit to get used to, but as long as you two are both happy and healthy in your relationship, I can't really complain. You have my support, Nobu!" I comforted earning a small smile from the heroine, "Now! Since you have the night off, and I am under strict orders not to let you overexert yourself, let us commence: Cousin Fun Night!" Nobu giggled and nodded.

"What does cousin fun night involve exactly?" she asked with a small giggle earning a huge grin from yours truly.

"Well, that is for me to know and you to find out as we go!" I responded with a mischievous glint in my green eyes. Nobu looked a bit nervous at this but nodded nonetheless.

"Nii-san… Where are we going?" Nobu-chan asked nervously as I dragged her by the hand down the less crowded streets of late night Musutafu. I smiled reassuringly at her.

"You'll see!" I singsonged as we finally arrived at our destination. We were in front of a simple whole in the wall 24 hour diner I had discovered when trying to find food after finishing my radio show one night. We entered the diner to see it mostly empty. The walls full of older records and music memorabilia and the smell of Japanese comfort food filling the air. I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see Shinobu take a deep breath and relax before giving me a smile and nod. I internally let out a sigh of relief.

As we sat down and ordered our food, Nobu and I talked for the first time in a while just me and her about everything under the sun. She apparently was still almost as much of a music junky as me, which meant we spent a fair amount of time talking about the old records decorating the walls of the diner, friends we both had made, and reminiscing about some of our childhood stories. We kept it light and happy.

I even learned that Shinobu was close friends with the current number 5 pro hero, Edgeshot. He had apparently mentioned teaming up several times, but Nobu said that she enjoyed being an underground hero too much and preferred to stay as far away from the spotlight as possible. Though in my mind I knew that Nobu preferred her status as underground hero, hearing her talk about it reminded me all too much of my black haired friend.

The more I learned about my sweet little cousin, the more she seemed like a great fit for Shouta. Sure there were some areas that would probably cause issues at some point, like the fact that they both tend to keep their thoughts and feelings locked up tighter than Tartarus Prison, but hey that's a concern for another day. Don't get me wrong. I still thought Shouta wasn't good enough for Shinobu, but then again, I didn't think any man was good enough for her.

Anyways, we eventually finished dinner and walked back to the apartment, stopping to get two tubs of our favorite ice creams, banana for me and chocolate with brownie chunks for Shinobu. One thing certainly hadn't changed: my silver-haired cousin still had one heck of a sweet tooth.

Once we made it back to the apartment, we put the ice cream in the freezer, and I pulled out a bunch of blankets, sheets, and pillows, and began building our pillow fort. Nobu came into the living room as I was halfway done, and began helping while silently giggling. I let her pick out a movie for us to watch. She chose The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. When I asked her why, she said she loved fantasy movies and the soundtrack for that entire series of movies was phenomenal. I smiled at that and went and grabbed our pints of ice cream and two giant spoons which I brought into the living room before handing Nobu hers and laying down beside her in our pillow fort and starting the movie.

Halfway through the movie and two empty pints of ice cream later, the silver haired heroine had passed out cuddled into me. I smiled at this as I heard her mumble as her eyes opened slightly, barely awake for a moment.

"Thank you, Zashi-nii," she mumbled softly, "I love you." I felt my heart burst at this. I had missed the bond I had my precious cousin so much, and it really warmed my heart to see it growing again. I placed a small kiss on the crown of her head before getting up to take our empty ice cream pints and dirty spoons into the kitchen. As I was heading back to the pillow fort, my phone began vibrating in the pocket of my pajama pants. Surprised and wondering who the heck would be calling so late, I checked my phone to see the caller ID: Dad. _What the heck does he want so late at night?_ Worried that something might be wrong, I answered the call.

"Hello," I answered in a questioning tone. My father's gruff voice replied.

"_I heard Shinobu is back in town. You two are going to come over for dinner next Saturday night_," my father stated bluntly, his voice clearly leaving no room for argument.

"I, uh, I'll have to ask Nobu-chan if she has patrol at that time, but I'll let you know," I tried to get her out of what I knew would be a horribly uncomfortable night for her.

"_Tell her to call in. It's not like she really contributes to anything by patrolling. If anything, it gives the _**_actual heroes_**_ more to worry about. It'd be doing them a favor keeping her off the streets for the night_," he responded callously before adding one final comment, "_This is not up for negotiation, Hizashi. You and Shinobu will be here for dinner on Saturday by 6pm sharp. Do not be late, and do not even think about creating some excuse for you or her to miss._" At that, the click signaling that the call had been disconnected seemed to echo in my ears. I took a deep breath to try and calm myself, before deciding to go lay back down in the fort with Nobu.

As I laid there and stared up at the canopy of mismatched sheets and blankets, I found myself stuck in a major dilemma.

_How was I supposed to tell Shouta and Shinobu that some of her most terrible memories weren't from the poison? That they were real…_

**A/N:**

**I now have a Discord server! Please check it out! I will be using it to run polls for when I will update certain stories, which stories to work on next, as well as it just being a place where people can talk about different stuff like anime, fanfiction, writing advice, and so on. That's also where I will post when I update a new story. There is also a fanart channel if any of my lovely readers want to submit fanart! It's new so the numbers aren't high yet, but I encourage anyone who is interested to please check it out! :) A clickable link should be on my profile description, but this particular website has been very stubborn about me trying to include it. So if you can't find it there, please go to my profile on WattPad. There is for sure a clickable link to my Discord server there. Same Username: TaehaNatsuki **

**Again, thank you for all the support on this story 3 Love Always, Taeha**


	25. Ch 24: Distracted

-Shinobu's POV-

When I awoke the next day, Nii-san hesitantly informed me of the mandatory dinner with his parents, and I felt my anxiety spike immediately. Not wanting to worry him anymore than he clearly already was, I just smiled and said okay before quickly getting ready and heading to UA. On the way there, I put in my lavender wireless ear buds and turned on some music on my phone. This was one of the ways I was able to make myself not use my quirk as a clutch.

The entire 15 minute walk to UA, I listened to my twenty one pilots and Cavetown playlist on Spotify. It helped calm me down a bit, but I was still very much distracted by the upcoming dinner. My memories never quite recovered from the poison from that villain. The doctor's said that the memories would only fix themselves when faced with a reality that didn't quite match them, similar to how some of my memories started to clear up a bit when Nii-san was super nice to me.

I was so focused on the anxiety I was dealing with that despite taking out my headphones as I entered the teachers' lounge at UA, I didn't notice that there was anyone else in the room. With a large silent sigh, I sat at my desk and pushed my hair back with my hand, trying to focus on the training plan Shouta and I had worked on for Tamaki.

"Morning, Muffle," a low, gruff voice greeted with a nervous tinge, causing me to jump in surprise before giving him a small wave to Seikijiro who had sat beside me without me realizing, not really knowing how to act with him either. I still was not happy with him shouting out Shouta's business out of jealousy. It was petty, and I was disappointed in the blood hero. The large hero let out a sigh before scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Listen, Shinobu-san, I'm really sorry about yesterday." Seikijiro apologized as I continued to look at him with a blank expression for several moments before finally responding, my voice quiet but more stern than usual.

"I'm the not the person you should apologize to, Vlad-san," I responded, my voice stern but not bitter, the use of his hero name being more than enough to let him know I was not happy with him at all. As if on cue, the door to the teachers' lounge opened to reveal none other than my favorite scruffy, underground hero.

Shouta sent me a nod in greeting, his expression softening ever so slightly before turning to glare at Seikijiro who immediately distanced himself from me. I got up and walked over to the coffee pot, pouring Shouta his usual black coffee into a travel cup and pouring some hot water over a green tea bag for myself and adding two sugars before bringing him his drink at his desk.

"Thanks," he muttered gratefully as he took a sip of the scalding hot beverage before looking at me with a tiny smirk, "Were you able to get good rest yesterday?" I smiled and nodded excitedly thinking back to the awesome time I had had with Zashi-nii the night before. A gruff clearing of a throat caused our attention to Vlad who was now standing awkwardly in front of Shouta's desk.

"What do you want?" Shouta asked in his usual tired tone.

"Look… I… I wanted to apologize for what I did yesterday… It was uncalled for and petty," Vlad admitted, clearly being sincere and very uncomfortable. I held back a smile. It was nice that he was willing to put his pride down and apologize to Shouta. Shouta looked at me for a second and recognized my expression before closing his eyes with a sigh and taking another sip of his coffee. When he put down his coffee, he opened his eyes and looked up at Vlad with a stern gaze.

"You're lucky that Mic stepped in when he did, Vlad," Shouta stated bluntly before continuing, "Interfere with mine and Shinobu's relationship again, and I won't be so forgiving. I'm only letting it go because it's clear that that's what she wants. So we're fine." I smiled a bit at his words. It made me happy to know that Nii-san still had Shouta's back the morning after all hell broke loose. Vlad nodded in understanding as Shouta got up, finished his coffee, grabbed my hand as we walked towards Class 1-A. My face flushed as I realized he was still holding my hand when we left the teacher's lounge.

"Um… Shouta?" I got his attention and looked at our hands, trying to hold back my blush. He smiled a bit and let go but immediately ruffled my hair letting me know he was thankful for me pointing it out. He and I had both agreed that we would rather keep our private life private, especially when it came to the students. It was safer and more comfortable for both us since neither of us were the most social individuals. I'm pretty sure that the only reason he told Vlad was because he wanted Vlad to stop hitting on me all the time.

Shouta had been trying to keep my attention for the last couple of hours so we could work on Tamaki's training plan. But my mind kept drifting due to my anxiety about the dinner with my aunt and uncle. The last straw was when, after 3 hours of getting my attention every fifteen minutes, I accidentally canceled my own hearing and my sight in a wave of anxiety. After a couple of minutes, the familiar feeling of my quirk being erased washed over me, and my sight and hearing returned. I was greeted with the sight of my boyfriend's ever stern expression as his eyes narrowed slightly at me and his arms crossed.

"Now, are you going to tell me what has had you so damn anxious this whole day, or are you going to try and keep bottling it up and handling it yourself?" he questioned bluntly, quirking an eyebrow at me. I looked down at my hands as I began signing as I was speaking aloud.

"It's nothing important, Shouta. I don't want to bother anyone with something that's not even a big deal," I admitted quietly, looking up to see Shouta with a concerned frown before he let out a long sigh.

"Is it about the dinner with Mic's parents?" he suddenly asked and my eyes widened in shock, answering his question, "I thought so. He texted me about it this morning after you left the house. Why are you so anxious about it?" I shrugged in response, not wanting to really talk about it.

"Talk to me, Shinobu. I'm no good with this kind of stuff, but I can't help if you don't tell me," he stated bluntly. I thought for a moment before letting out a silent sigh and signing as I spoke.

"I don't have any good memories with my uncle, Shou… I don't know if it's because of the poison from that villain or if they're real. If they are real, then I really don't want to go on Saturday. But if they aren't, why can't I find even the happier memories?" I rambled quietly as I kept signing until a felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Shouta with a soft expression as he spoke in a much more soothing tone that I was pretty certain no one else got to hear.

"You won't find out if you don't go. Hizashi won't let anything bad happen to you. So if it becomes too much, you can always leave. That's one of the perks of being an adult. We have the power to choose for ourselves when others become too much; however, we also have the responsibility of dealing with whatever consequences come from those choices," he points out, the fact that he was a teacher through and through definitely showing with his little speech, but it did make me feel better a bit. I gave him a small smile and put my hand over his.

"Thanks, Shouta," I said quietly, no longer feeling anxious enough to need to constantly sign as I spoke. He gave me a small smile and a placed a quick, warm kiss on my forehead before returning back to his seat at his desk across from me.

"No problem. Now that you're focused, let's get this training plan for your student done," he said getting right back to business making me smile even more. _This guy… Dating or not, he still holds me to his high standards. I might just be okay on Saturday with support like this behind me._

-

Song: Armor by Landon Austin


	26. Ch 25: A Friend In Me

-Shouta's POV-

Part of what Shinobu had told me about her memories of Mic's father had me concerned, so I decided that I needed to ask him about it. So, while Shinobu was training Amajiki, I told her I had some work to take care of, and I couldn't help her with training today. She simply nodded without question, but I had a feeling she knew it wasn't completely work related. Shinobu was sharp as a tack, so the fact that she hadn't pressed the issue showed me just how much she trusted me which I appreciated since I was well aware her trust did not come easily.

Wasting no time, since I knew it was Mic's planning period, I texted him and asked him to come to my classroom since he didn't have one of his own. His loud voice announced his arrival before his crazy cockatiel looking hairstyle did.

"ERASER MY MAN! How's it goin?" he greeted loudly causing me to roll my eyes in annoyance at his loud attitude.

"Not in the mood, Mic. Shut the door," I stated bluntly, not wanting to waste any time. Sensing the heaviness in my expression and tone, Mic did as I asked without question before sitting in the chair Shinobu had pulled up earlier.

"What's going on, Shouta? It's not like you to ask to talk? I can't fix all of yours and Nobu-chan's relationship problems, ya know?" he asked, teasing at the last comment to try and lighten the atmosphere. I closed my eyes and sighed in frustration.

"Look, Hizashi. I need to know about Shinobu's relationship with your father. Does she have any good memories with him?" I asked bluntly with my eyes still closed. After a moment of silence, I opened my eyes to see that Hizashi had removed his sunglasses and was pinching the bridge of his nose, a solemn expression on his usually bright face. That alone spoke volumes, but this was THE PresentMic. He wouldn't answer a question without speaking.

"My father blamed Nobu for what happened to her father. He resented her for the accident with her quirk, and never bothered to listen to the doctors who tried to explain to him the issue with the quirk suppressants. And Nobu took all the abuse from him," Hizashi explained, his green eyes starting to gloss over a bit, "She always claimed that the worst he would do is yell at her, but… I would catch bruises on her. She always said they were from training, but she'd gain new ones while I was at my internships and stuff. She never complained, never argued with my dad when he told her she was a villain and that everything was her fault. Hell, Shouta, even my mom joined in when it got to the name calling." I frowned at this.

"They did all of this in front of you and didn't even listen or read the reports?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow, not fully believing that Hizashi would have stood by and let all this happen when he was at home. To my relief, the blonde hero shook his head.

"No. I mean they would sneak rude comments in when I was still living at home and I suspect that my dad might have hit her while I was busy with my internship, but I was only home for the first year after the accident. After that, I moved out and was doing full time hero work, so I never really got to visit," he explained, a guilty frown spreading across his face, "I didn't even put all the pieces about the abuse together until Nobu was close to graduating from U.A. Even then, she still denied it, and without her trying to file a report, there really wasn't much I could do. It was just suspicions."

Now, I've always considered myself a highly rational person, but hearing how Shinobu had been treated by the people who were supposed to be raising her after the accident had my mind shifting to some very irrational possibilities as to what I could do about this. One of which included going and tying Hizashi's dad upside down from a streetlamp and letting him hang there until someone found him. Maybe the blood rushing to his head would help him think straight. However, I took a few deep breaths before looking at Hizashi who now looked devastated, and I felt my anger soften a bit. The loud blonde may have had a lot of little things that annoyed me, but he was still my best friend. I didn't want him to think I blamed him for what happened.

"I'm coming to dinner with you guys to Saturday night's dinner," is what came out of my mouth as I got up and placed my hand firmly on the voice hero's shoulder instead of the words of comfort I had been trying to come up with, causing him to jump up in surprise. Despite how I was with Shinobu, I still very much struggled in the communication and comfort department, and while comforting her came a bit more naturally, I still found myself struggling. Instead, all I had been able to do was state the solution I had decided on.

"Woah! Eraser, are you sure that's a good idea? I know you want to be there for Nobu-chan, but don't you want to let things settle before you go have dinner with the family?" Hizashi exclaimed nervously. I shrugged.

"I've eaten dinner with your family before. Your parents don't need to know this is different," I responded before continuing when I noticed the irritated look that quickly spread across Mic's face, "I'm not ashamed of Shinobu. I just don't want your parents to act different on account of me dating her. She is stronger than you think, Mic, but I want to be there to encourage her. Not to fight her battles for her." At that, a soft smile spread across his face.

"You're pretty crazy about her, huh, Sho," Hizashi commented more than asked, but I nodded in response with a sigh.

"That woman is something else. She makes me act irrational, and for some reason, that doesn't piss me off," I admitted as I ran my hand through my messy black hair before going to the door of Class 1-A and turning to Hizashi to ask one more question, "By the way, Mic, what hospital are Shinobu's parents at?" His thin blonde brows furrowed at that question.

"Nakameguro General Hospital psyche ward. Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Can Shinobu be your TA for the rest of the day?" I responded without answering his question.

"Of course. But Shouta, what are you planning to do?" Mic pushed more aggressively with his question. I shrugged my shoulders as I smirked to myself, stopping in the doorway to answer Hizashi's question without facing him.

"Something irrational."

"Welcome to Nakameguro General Hospital. How can I help you?" the nurse greeted meekly without looking up from her computer.

"I'm here to visit Mr. And Mrs. Yamada," I answered, causing her to look up at me with suspicion.

"You aren't on their approved visitors list," she responded curtly. Cursing my own irrationality but refusing to back down for the sake of one silver-haired heroine, I pulled out my hero license and held it up.

"I'm here to talk to them regarding an investigation," I stated firmly, my tired no nonsense expression and tone reverting to what I use most often during work. She raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it.

"Then why did you say you were here to visit?" she questioned causing me to narrow my eyes at her. I know she was doing her job, but I did NOT have time for this today.

"Because the investigation I am doing is not supposed to be public knowledge. I'm an underground hero. I don't do big investigations that a lot of people know about. It was for their safety," I responded without missing a beat. I had done a lot of undercover work before I became a teacher. Lying on the fly was a skill I had become very good at as a result. The nurse in front of me looked momentarily guilty before nodding her head in understanding.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Eraserhead. Please go back there. And I'm assuming for safety purposes, you need this visit off of the books," she asked, as I let out an internal sigh of relief as I nodded stoically. Starting to feel really thankful for all those years of undercover work right about now. As soon as I nodded, the nurse got up and motioned for me to follow her. I did as I was told until we reached Room 402. There was a sign on the outside with two names on it: Yamada Daichi and Yamada Koharu.

"Mr. And Mrs. Yamada, there's someone here to see you," the nurse called softly as she opened the door after knocking. The room I was let into was similar to a studio apartment, but there was no place to cook or anything like that of course. Inside the room was a woman who looked shockingly like Shinobu in the face. She had dark brown hair peppered with gray that fell down in gentle waves to just past her shoulders, dark blue eyes, and from what I could see from the profile view I had of her, she even had a spattering of freckles across her cheeks. The man in the room, who I could only assume to be Shinobu's father, had blonde and gray hair and sharp features and bright green eyes that seemed to be the common trademark for the Yamada family.

They both turned to face me as the nurse excused herself, shutting the door behind her which I was very thankful for. Koharu, Shinobu's mom, had eyes that were full of life and awareness, not at all what I expected from someone who I had assumed was doped up on anti-psychotics most of the time. She approached me, but it was Daichi, Shinobu's father, who spoke.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a gruff voice. I took a silent deep breath before opening my eyes and saying the words that would either get me kicked out of this hospital permanently or change the lives of this family forever.

"My name is Aizawa Shouta. I'm your daughter Shinobu's boyfriend."

A/N:

I'm soooo sorry it took me so long to update! My depression and anxiety have been all over the place, but I'm going to do my best to update consistently again. But until I really get myself together, I may have to just settle for posting one update a week. If I can though, I will do more. Also, sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger. :) Love Always, Taeha.


	27. Ch 26: Sanity

-Shouta's POV-

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Shinobu's mother ran up to me and had my hands in a death grip. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears as she began to speak, her voice quiet and rushed.

"My baby… How is she?… How is my sweet little Nobu-chan? Does she hate us?…" At the last question, the frail and clearly a bit unhinged woman broke down into sobs. This earned me a glare from Daichi, Shinobu's father as he cleared his throat to get my attention.

"Do you really know my daughter, or did you just come here to cause more guilt and grief for me and my wife?" he interrogated, chartreuse eyes narrowed in distrust. There was no denying he was quite the intimidating man, but I was a pro hero for god's sake. It would take more than a glare to cause me to abort this mission.

Without hesitation, I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone and unlocking it before turning it around to face Shinobu's parents. My background picture was an image Shinobu had insisted on taking one day, and to mess with her a bit, I had kissed her cheek right as she snapped the photo causing an adorable blush to spread across her cheeks and a huge smile to light up her face. She thought she looked silly in the photo, but it was honestly my favorite photo of her. As the two adults in front of me looked at the photo, I was shocked to see Shinobu's father look up from it to meet my gaze with tears in his eyes.

"Why are you here? Nobu has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with us," he stated, his voice a bit scratchy from holding back tears. His comment threw me for a loop. This wasn't adding up.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to figure out where he would get that idea from. With a sigh, the man reached into the desk drawer and pulled out several letters. At the sight of the letters, Shinobu's mother who had finally begun to calm down once again broke into sobs. Without another word, Shinobu's father handed me the letters and went over to console his wife with a firm a hug.

As I looked through the letters, I was confused by the contents. Sure enough, all the letters were signed with Shinobu's name and claimed that her parents were awful people, blaming them for the whole incident. There were even some letters calling them failures of parents and saying that she hated them for forcing her to take the quirk suppressants. Finally, the last letter ended with Shinobu saying that she never wanted to see them or hear from them again.

To most, the letters would seem pretty damning, but there was something I immediately noticed upon inspecting the letters. _This is not Shinobu's handwriting._ With that thought, I placed the letters on the desk beside me and faced her parents.

"Yamada-san," I started, getting the attention of her father as he continued to hold his wife, "These letters are fake. This isn't Shinobu's handwriting. She doesn't hate either of you. In fact, she blames herself and was told that she wasn't allowed to visit you both because you both could not mentally handle it." At that, her father raised an eyebrow at me.

"If you were under that impression, why would you risk coming here and bringing her up to us?" he asked, not in a particularly accusatory way, but it was clear he knew that I had a pretty serious reason to take such a risk. I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair and met his eyes with a slightly guilty expression.

"Shinobu was hurt on one of our patrols not long ago. She was infected with a poison from a villain that altered her memories, and it's causing her to struggle with her grip on reality," I admitted earning a concerned furrowing of brows from her father, "Also, your brother has invited her for a dinner, and from what I have been told, he has not been so kind to her in the past regarding the incident. It made me a bit suspicious that the doctors would keep a 15-year-old child away from her parents due to an accident and his actions only made it worse. If there was even a chance at this helping Shinobu, I was ready to take it."

The entire time I spoke, I had kept eye contact with Shinobu's dad. I wanted him to understand that while I had failed to protect her on the patrol, I was willing to risk everything to help her recover completely and potentially even be better than before the attack. To my surprise, instead of scolding me for letting Shinobu get hurt or even abusing my power as a pro hero, her father gritted his teeth, and when he spoke, his angry words were not directed at me.

"My brother did this, didn't he?" his voice was low and angry as he looked at the stack of letters on the desk before looking back at me. I nodded in agreement.

"That's my suspicion, though I don't have any actual proof. I'm hoping to get that at the dinner this Saturday," I answered honestly earning a nod of approval from the man in front of me, "How are you both so alert?" At that, Shinobu's mother looked up at me with a slightly sheepish smile.

"We have been hiding our medications instead of taking them for years now," she admitted, her voice much more steady than when she spoke earlier, "I'm sorry for becoming so unhinged earlier. It's just that the guilt of all of this has been wearing on me for years now." I nodded in understanding and gave her a small comforting smile that I couldn't help. Shinobu had definitely got her demeanor from her mother.

"Shinobu misses you both dearly. I assure you she doesn't hate either of you in the least bit," I told them honestly. To my surprise, as soon as I finished speaking, I was pulled into a tight hug by Shinobu's mother.

"Thank you so much, Aizawa-kun," her mother said softly. Not knowing really how to respond to the hug, I just awkwardly returned her hug.

"Shouta is fine," I stated as she pulled away earning a smile from the smaller woman.

"Then call me Koharu," she requested to which I simply nodded in response. Next was Shinobu's father, who grasped my shoulder firmly with a serious expression on his face.

"Call me Daichi as well. Now I need to know, Shouta. How serious are you about my daughter?" he asked bluntly, and at the mention of the silver-haired heroine, I couldn't help but let a small smirk spread across my lips as I met his chartreuse eyes with my onyx ones.

"Serious enough to risk my entire career as a pro hero by faking an investigation in order to potentially reunite her with her parents," I responded without hesitation. At that, a huge grin spread across Daichi's face.

"Well then, I believe we have a plan to make, Shouta."


	28. Ch 27: Reality (is the Worst)

-Shinobu's POV-

It was finally the day I had been dreading all week. Tonight, Shouta canceled our patrol so I could attend this dinner with my aunt and uncle. I tugged at the bottom of my flowing long-sleeved lavender shirt nervously as Nii-san drove us to our destination. To my surprise, we came to a stop much earlier than it would have taken to reach there.

When I looked up to see where we had stopped, I was surprised to see the back door opening and none other than Shouta slid in beside me. Instead of his normal hero outfit or sweatpants that I was used to seeing him in, he was wearing a dark button-up shirt with dark wash fitted jeans. His usually shaggy black hair was also tied up in a bun, and his usual stubble was missing. He looked ridiculously handsome and I found myself blushing as I gave him a questioning look.

Instead of giving me an answer, Shouta just shrugged, a small smirk appearing on his lips as he gently grasped my hand. A new wave of calm crashed against my rising anxiety, and I felt a lot better. Even if him showing up to come along was odd, I would be lying if I said I wasn't thankful for his presence. Suddenly a clearing of Hizashi-nii's throat in the front seat interrupted my thoughts.

"Look, I'm cool with you two dating or whatever, but no making out in the back of my car!" Nii-san teased, his voice clear that he was actually a bit uncomfortable but trying to be understanding about the whole thing. I let out a silent giggle before leaning up to the front seat and speaking quietly, barely loud enough to be heard over the engine running.

"So does that mean if we move to the front seat we can?" I teased causing Nii-san to let out a yelp of surprise as he gave a childish pout at me. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled back into the back seat. I looked over to see Shouta with an amused but stern look on his face.

"Don't distract the driver. That's dangerous, and you've already proven that you're quite accident-prone," he chided, his voice sounding tired and bored like usual but there was a hint of concern in it. He was right. Since moving back to Musutafu, I found myself getting hurt way more often than I had in the past, and especially since getting stabbed on our last patrol, Shouta had become more protective, though he wasn't obvious about it. If I wasn't used to working on my own and being more aware of my surroundings, I wouldn't have noticed.

In what felt like no time at all, we had made it to my aunt and uncle's house, and the anxiety that had been temporarily fought off by Shouta's presence came barreling back into the forefront of my mind. Before leaving the car, I looked at Shouta and gave his hand one final squeeze, needing the comfort, and he thankfully returned it giving me a nod as well before tucking my hair behind my ear before pulling away and releasing my hand.

The house itself was just as I remembered it, making me worried that the memories I had of this place were accurate and not created by that villain's poison. The walls were starch white with accents of burgundy and brown, colors that would have been inviting if not for the intimidating figures of my uncle and aunt who greeted both Shouta and Nii-san with kind smiles before turning to me with a much more sinister glint in their eyes. Not wanting to make things awkward, I came up to them with a timid smile and a wave.

"Oh wow, Shinobu! Have you put on weight?!" my aunt exclaimed with a fake concerned expression causing my face to go red in embarrassment as I felt my heart drop to my stomach. I shook my head, trying to keep a smile on my face hoping that would be the end of it. But of course, I could never be that lucky.

"Oh still can't control your quirk huh? Must be difficult to find a job when you're that useless. No wonder you've put on weight," my uncle added, rubbing salt in the open wound left by my aunt. I hadn't put on weight, and I knew that. But weight is an easy spot to hit any girl and make them insecure.

At that comment, my aunt and uncle laughed and motioned to Hizashi-nii and Shouta to follow them to the dining room. As we followed, Hizashi-nii shot a concerned glance behind me, and I returned it with what I hoped was a reassuring smile that I was fine. When we entered the dining room, the table had already been set with six chairs, just like it was when my parents and I would come over for dinner before the incident.

Unsure of where to sit, I ended up sitting between Nii-san and Shouta and across from my uncle. This made me feel a bit better as the food was served family-style and everyone began to eat; however, I had much less of an appetite after the comments on my weight so I put very little food on my plate. Everyone else exchanged pleasant conversation with my aunt and uncle asking Nii-san how his radio show was going and asking Shouta how he liked being a teacher at UA. I was completely content with being ignored, and it stayed that way till my uncle cleared his throat causing me to look up. As our matching colored eyes met, he smirked, and I felt dread build up in my stomach making me feel nauseous. He dropped his smirk and gave an apologetic sigh.

"Shouta, Hizashi, I have to apologize that you both are having to eat dinner with Shinobu. I know she's quite the inconvenience and terror to have around, but it makes us feel much safer knowing that we have two pro heroes if she gets out of hand," my uncle apologized, and my aunt nodded in agreement. Tears burned my eyes begging to be let out, and I felt my head pounding as I fought back my quirk without any help from quirk suppressants. Something had to break. Turns out, the thing to break was me.

"If I'm such a problem to have around, why invite me to come tonight?" I asked, breaking the silence in the room, my voice louder than I usually spoke, as I looked my uncle in the eye with a hurt glare of my own, "If I'm such a terror, why don't you just hit me? Will that make you feel better?!" My uncle didn't miss a fucking beat.

"I would, but it never helped when you were younger." That was it. The memories I had been fighting off since the encounter with that villain. The ones I had been trying to convince myself weren't real… They were real, and they were staring me straight in the face even now, but apparently, my uncle wasn't done.

"You deserved it for what you did to my brother and his wife you monstrous bitch! You should have been banned from their lives and locked up in some prison or insane asylum for the rest of your life! Not them!" my uncle bellowed causing me to shrink back at his words. But I was confused by his wording, and I wasn't the only one.

"But I thought her parents did ban her from their lives," Shouta spoke up, and his words devastated me. It was one thing to hear it from my aunt, my uncle, or even myself, but hearing Shouta say it was something that hurt more than I had expected. Not being able to handle anymore, I got up to leave but was stopped by a firm hand gripping my wrist. Chartreuse eyes blinked sympathetically behind triangular glasses as Nii-san silently urged me to stay. Not knowing what else to do, I sat back down as my aunt spoke up.

"I wish they had. Instead, I had to convince them with letters I wrote pretending to be the monstrous bitch claiming that she hated them and blamed them for the incident. It was for their own good, and it worked like a charm too. Now the doctors think neither of them can handle seeing her," my aunt explained proudly. At that comment, I saw red.

"You BITCH!" the voice that came from my mouth was louder and angrier than I had ever let out without using my voice quirk as I stood up and walked over to my aunt. The next moments happened in a blur. My uncle stood up with his hand raised to strike me, but it was caught by none other than Hizashi-nii who looked absolutely livid.

"You'd do well not to lay a hand on her again, Dad," Nii-san warned, his voice low and threatening as he glared harshly at his father. Next, I felt a hand wrap gently around my wrist and pull me out of the reach of both my aunt and uncle.

"Also, in the future, maybe think twice about admitting to crimes like that in front of _**three**_ pro heroes," Shouta added seriously as he released my wrist to wrap his arm protectively around my shoulders and spoke softer to me, "Come on, Nobu. We're done here." At that, Shouta begins to guide me to the door only to be stopped by my uncle stepping in front of us.

"Now you're sleeping with a pro hero so you can frame us?! You treacherous, slut! Go fucking kill yoursel-" my uncle had begun screaming at me only to be stopped by a punch to the face courtesy of Hizashi-nii.

"Enough. Leave Nobu-chan alone from now on. This is your last warning, Father," Nii-san stated bluntly before opening the door and allowing me and Shouta to leave first. Without hesitating, we went straight to Hizashi's car. By now, I felt myself trembling as Shouta gently guided me into the backseat before reaching into his shirt and pants pocket to reveal a black box with a red light and a long wire with a microphone at the end of it. My eyes went wide, and my heart went in a million directions as I tried to piece together what the hell just happened.


	29. Ch 28: Reality (is the Best)

-Shouta's POV-

I could practically see the gears moving behind Shinobu's chartreuse eyes as she tried to process what the hell had just happened. Since hearing about the dinner, she had obviously been on edge, trying to prepare herself for any possible outcome tonight, but it was clear by how wide her eyes were that she had never considered anything close to this being a remote possibility.

Not wanting to set the young heroine over the edge, I set the and recording device down in the empty seat to my left and held my arms open a bit as an invitation. With little hesitation, Shinobu scooted herself into my arms where I pulled her into my lap, hoping that the physical contact would help ground her at least a little bit. After several minutes, with Hizashi on the phone with the police officers who were coming to take his parents into custody, Shinobu looked up at me with questioning eyes and removed herself from my lap, I can only guess out of respect for her cousin. However, she didn't move far as she took my hand and gave it the lightest squeeze and looking up at me, her brows furrowing as her face held a questioning expression.

"The day that you had to be Hizashi's TA for the second half of the day, I went to the hospital and visited your parents," I began to explain, earning a silent gasp from the woman in front of me and while she looked a bit unsettled for a moment by this information, she nodded with a blank expression, allowing me to continue, "Your parents showed me the letters they had received from your aunt when I was confused by them informing me that you hated them. The handwriting didn't match yours. Shinobu, your parents have been hiding their medications and secretly not taking them for years. They miss you and want to see you. Your dad helped me plan this whole thing with the wire and everything for tonight."

At that last statement, tears flowed from Shinobu's eyes as she immediately released my hand and buried her face in her own, her form wracked by barely audible sobs. It shocked me really, and I wasn't quite sure how to handle this. So I reverted back to my normal method: blunt honesty.

"Do you want to see them?" I questioned, trying to soften my voice a bit. I knew Shinobu was anything but frail, but tonight had already been a lot for anyone to handle. I didn't want her to break again… At my words, Shinobu's face shot up out of her hands and I was surprised to feel her soft pink lips against my own as I held her waist to steady her shaking frame.

"Yes, please… Yes… I want to see them," the silver haired heroine whispered against my lips, causing me to fight back a smile as I cupped her cheek and pressed my lips affectionately against hers before gently pulling back, meeting her gaze with a soft smile. Her freckled nose and cheeks were flushed from her crying and the excitement of the night and a hopeful glint in her eyes matched the small smile on her pink lips. _Goddammit what is this woman doing to me?_

"I thought I told you guys no making out in my back seat?!" Hizashi's ever loud voice called from the door beside me as he grabbed the recording device I had used and passed it to one of the officers that must have arrived during mine and Shinobu's talk. _This night is even fraying on my senses. I wasn't even aware that the cops had showed up._ After giving the recording device to the officer, Hizashi jumped into the front seat and started the car, turning to look at me.

"Alright so where are we headed now?" he asked. I looked at Shinobu, who had finally began to calm down as she continued to process everything. Grabbing her hand in support, I looked to Hizashi and answered.

"Nakameguro General Hospital."

-Shinobu's POV-

The ride to the hospital was a blur for me. In order to process everything as well as try and keep myself grounded, I kept all of my senses canceled except for my sense of touch. I could be strong on my own, but I was so thankful for the warmth of Shouta's hand in the midst of the darkness I surrounded myself with. I needed this, this silence, in order to handle meeting my parents, if the hospital even allowed me in. That was another possibility I had to prepare myself for.

Then there was the matter of my aunt and uncle. Would they go to jail? I was pretty sure the statute of limitations was up for the abuse I dealt with as a child, and even if it wasn't, we have no proof. Besides, I wasn't sure if I wanted them to go to jail. I understood the hate they both had for me, especially my uncle. I mean he was forced to take in the person that caused his brother to lose his mind, so it made sense that seeing me would be a reminder that I basically caused him to lose his brother.

As I was going through that, I felt Shouta give a slight squeeze to my hand, getting my attention. I'm sure he was well aware that I had canceled most of my senses and had done so for a reason. I appreciated him trying to get my attention instead of straight up canceling my quirk. Sometimes, my quirk was my safe space, and whether he knew that thought of mine or not, Shouta had respected me yet again by letting me stop my quirk on my own. It only added to the secure feeling I had with him.

When my vision returned, I was met with with a small nod from my boyfriend as I followed his moving gaze to the window. We had arrived. It was time whether I was ready or not.

"Nobu… I know Shouta said that they wanted to see you, but if you need more time, we can come back tomorrow. You've already had a rough night," Hizashi-nii voiced his concern as he turned around in his seat, concern in his eyes, "And I know you've had a rougher time controlling your quirk since you've been off your suppressants. Are you sure you can handle this?" His words stung, but I knew he was trying to look out for me. Zashi-nii wasn't exactly known for his tact anyways. Without hesitation, despite the sting in my chest at his words, I nodded vigorously with a determined expression across my face and opening the door to the car as if to make my point. This earned a chuckle from Zashi-nii as he shook his head.

As I stood in front of the hospital, staring up at lit up red sign above the entrance, I steeled myself for what was to come next. The memories of this place didn't matter. I wasn't the same quiet, broken girl that nearly broke her parents forever. Sure, I still had social anxiety and trouble controlling my quirk as well as I probably should, and yes I was still quiet. But that didn't make me weak. A hand grasped my shoulder in support, and I looked over to see Shouta, his typical expression on his face as his onyx eyes met mine.

"You already know you're strong, Shinobu. Things that are broken and rebuilt often end up stronger than before. You're an example of that. Let's go," he stated bluntly though I could tell he said it from a good place, and the words themselves encouraged me. There was no hidden meaning behind them. He was always so straight forward, and I was incredibly thankful for that.

With a determined nod, I followed him past the front desk where I was informed by staff that the police and Shouta had made sure all the paperwork and legal stuff was completed ahead of time in order for me to be able to visit my parents. That surprised me, but it did nothing to take away the growing pit of anxiety in my stomach. The front desk was not the obstacle I was most afraid of facing tonight. As we reached a room, I saw the names on a sign that made me want to run, whether out of the hospital or through the door next to the sign, I honestly wasn't sure at this point.

Shouta gave my hand one final encouraging squeeze before knocking on the door, entering only when the muted sound of my dad's low voice saying "Come in." was heard. The scruffy underground hero walked through the door, and he was talking in a low voice that I couldn't quite make out what was being said. So despite my nerves, I cautiously approached the door, and as soon as I saw them with an awareness in their eyes that should not have been present if they were on the anti-psychotics that were on their medical records. The only reason I even knew that list was because my uncle used to constantly throw them in my face as a way to make me feel guilty for existing.

"Mom? Dad?" a voice that sounded way too loud and vulnerable to be Shouta or Hizashi spoke up, and it took me a second to realize that I had spoken in shock. My parents' heads both snapped in my direction, looks of shock and recognition lighting up their faces, and before I knew it, I had been pulled into a tight hug by four arms.

"I-I'm so sorry, M-mom, Dad," I sobbed into my father's broad chest as I felt my mom's small, delicate hands rubbing gentle circles on my back, "I-I never meant t-to hurt you b-both!" A chuckle rumbled in my father's chest and a rough, calloused finger gently tilted my chin up so I would look at my parents. My mother was a sniffling mess with a smile shown under her tears, while my father was the opposite. He had a huge grin on his face as small streams of tears ran down his face.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your head up, Princess? Your crown will fall if you keep looking at your feet all the time," my dad scolded gently, using the same phrase he used to tell me as a kid in between my episodes with my quirk. He had even learned how to sign it after I had lost control of my quirk.

"Besides, we should be the ones apologizing," he continued with a sad smile before turning to Zashi-nii and Shouta, "Now, come and sit. You too, Shouta, Hizashi. Quit being strangers during this oh so touching family reunion!" At that comment, Shouta looked at him, eyebrows raised ever so slightly while Zashi-nii nervously rubbed the back of his neck. My dad sighed in annoyance, and I moved to sent down on the bed beside my mother and enjoy this surreal scene that was unfolding in front of me.

"Shouta, you're dating my princess and you literally risked your career for this. You're family too!" my dad's announcement shocked me and I looked at Shouta with a raised eyebrow to which he shrugged awkwardly as he took the empty chair across from me and my dad continued by targeting Zashi-nii, "And when have you ever been this quiet, Hizashi? Get your ass over here and give your favorite aunt and uncle a hug!" At that, Hizashi finally broke into a sincere grin and pulled my dad into a tight hug.

My heart felt so full as I watched the scene unfurl around me. Shouta spoke politely with my mom while my dad and Hizashi-nii caught up. The whole time, my parents stayed within arms reach and would randomly reach over and hug me or kiss my head or just tell me they loved me, and while I know to most 26 year old women, this would be the epitome of embarrassment, I was the happiest I had ever been in my life as I watched in silence as the people I loved most in this world were all brought together by a man who was willing to risk his career after so little time of dating so that I could have this.

Shouta Aizawa was many things, most of which were straight forward and some of which weren't perfect, but there was one thing I knew: He had a heart big enough to hear through my silence.

Song: Keep Your Head Up Princess by Anson Seabra


	30. ANNOUNCEMENT

For those of you who follow the story but not me personally, I have decided to end this book here. I really like where it was for an ending, and I had a time skip planned after the previous chapter.

That being said, I decided it would fit better to make it as a separate book, in another words, there will be a sequel to this book entitled _Strength Like Silence_ which I am unsure when I will start posting for it. But it will take place around the time the manga starts and go from there.

I'm currently on a major Haikyuu kick where I'm experimenting with not following manga plotlines much at all. If any of you would be interested, please check out my Kuroo story entitled _Secrets in the Storm_. I'm really enjoying writing it.

So yeah. Thank you all soooo much for all the support on this story, and I will be sure to announce when the sequel is up! :D

Love always,

Taeha 3


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